As South Australia braces for two days of extreme heat, SACOSS (the South Australian Council of Social Service) is today calling on all parties to commit to urgent reform of the energy concession to help with the high cost of electricity and so that households can afford to pay the cost of running air-conditioners when needed.
“With over-40 degree days forecast for today and tomorrow, people will need to use their air-conditioners to cool down, and to avoid heat-related conditions such as dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke,” says Ross Womersley, CEO of SACOSS.
“While air-conditioning is a health necessity during times of high temperatures, the Catch 22 is that many people don’t have the money to pay bills, and some are ‘choosing’ not to run cooling to try to avoid being disconnected.
“And while all South Australian low-income households are under heavy cost of living pressures, larger low-income families – with larger household energy consumption - are particularly vulnerable when it comes to energy costs.
“One important factor here is to the current flat-rate energy concession.
SACOSS is calling for:
• A modernising of the energy concession so it is paid as a percentage of the bill
Background
“In SA, energy prices have been rising at a rapid rate over the last decade. In the last ten years, Adelaide’s CPI for electricity has increased by 140% compared to the Adelaide general CPI rise of 25%.”
“In SA the state government provides an energy concession which is capped at $217.90 per annum. Eligibility includes recipients of a government concession card.”
“While there have been some welcome increases to the flat-rate concession, most notably in 2014, increases have not kept pace with the rising cost of electricity.”
“Also, once a household qualifies for a concession, it is paid at the same rate regardless of the energy consumption of their household.”
“Accordingly, a family with several children may in practise receive the same concession relief as a single person household, despite having higher consumption needs and higher bills.”
During this extreme weather period, SACOSS is also asking that neighbours look out for each other. Call or drop-in to check on elderly or vulnerable people, particularly those who live alone.
To read more about our proposal and to see the full SACOSS Utilities Cost of Living Election Policy go to: https://www.sacoss.org.au/cost-living
An infographic summary of the policies is also available at: https://www.sacoss.org.au/cost-living
For further information/comment, contact:
Published Date:
Thursday, 18 January 2018