Interview with Stelzer – Is Leonore Gewessler a good energy minister?

„krone“: When you look back on the last few months of your second term in office, what went well and what went badly?
Thomas Stelzer: What has gone well is that Upper Austria has further consolidated itself as a location for jobs and quality of life. We currently have more employees than ever before. But there were also a lot of challenges that keep us busy. On the one hand the corona wave and on the other hand the war in Ukraine, which, in addition to all the human suffering, also has enormous consequences for our daily life in Upper Austria. Keyword energy supply, energy prices.

You have been vaccinated four times – where else do you wear a face mask?
If it is somewhere very tight, such as at major events or recently on an airplane.

You have pushed for an end to quarantine and have so far been spared Corona. Would you work as a corona infected person without symptoms, as is now legally possible?
Since I am constantly around people in my work, I would stay at home so as not to endanger others – as with any other illness.

Not only are we dealing with a new corona wave, the energy crisis is also coming to a head. From an Upper Austrian point of view: is Leonore Gewessler a good Minister of Energy?
I try to work well with everyone who has a political task and not to judge because that’s where the atmosphere of the moment comes into play. In my opinion, however, it took some time before there was clarity – especially for the location of Upper Austria. After all, we have many companies that are energy-intensive. They urgently need to know whether they belong to the vital infrastructure and whether they can still obtain gas. You could also have accelerated to take precautions.

The blackout problem has been exacerbated by the energy crisis. Disaster Management Minister Michaela Langer-Weninger recently warned the population to take precautions. How well prepared are you personally, do you have a crank radio at home?
We have everything at home, including a flashlight. Still, we definitely have some catching up to do.

In our summer interviews, we presented calculations from everyday life to all candidates. Estimate the monthly electricity costs for a home with two adults and two small children.
I would say that the average cost of electricity is 66 euros.

It is 74 euros – although there is also a heat pump in the house.
74! I’m at least half way there.

Speaking of costs: how are you going to help those Upper Austrians who can no longer make ends meet due to inflation?
If we see at the beginning of the heating period that the help provided is not enough, we will certainly support the people. Our options are in housing, heating and transport – because we have our own commuter allowance.

Does that mean there are vouchers again?
I’m for simple help – if possible, without requests. That would work for all those who are already receiving help.

Assuming state elections take place next Sunday, what would the result be in percentage terms?
I would bet on it and try to make sure the ÖVP regains primary responsibility with me as the top candidate. It’s hard to say what the actual proportions look like.

If you don’t want to worry about percentages, maybe with a ranking. Who will follow in 2nd and 3rd place?
I think the order of the parties is still the same as in the 2021 state elections, with us as the strongest party, followed by the FPÖ and SPÖ.

So everything is the same.
I know that there are several opinion polls floating around that the vote for the ÖVP nationwide is not so easy. That would currently depress values, but the ranking would remain the same.