ESSENTIAL ENERGY HALTS JOB CUTS THANKS TO THE NSW NATIONALS

Deputy Premier and Leader of the NSW Nationals John Barilaro today announced that Essential Energy will halt plans to cut jobs in regional NSW.

"I'm pleased to announce, after weeks of calling on Essential Energy to abandon proposed job cuts, the state-owned corporation will halt this decision, thanks to the NSW Nationals in government," Mr Barilaro said.

"We worked with stakeholders, we listened to communities, we stayed firm on our position and we've now achieved a major victory for regional NSW.

"From the start, I urged Essential Energy to find further efficiencies without job cuts and that approach has proved successful.

"Regional NSW is the backbone of this state, and as we continue to suffer through the worst drought on record the last thing our communities need are job losses. 

"The grandstanding and showboating by the Labor Party at the eleventh hour has proven to be nothing more than a political ploy.

"Labor has not done a single thing to protect regional jobs - it was the NSW Nationals in government who saved 182 regional jobs today," he said. 

Essential Energy will report regularly to the Government on how it can deliver efficiencies and continue to put downward pressure on network charges as required by the Australian Energy Regulator.