Power Prices causing vulnerable Aussies to skip vital meals, health treatments
As we brace for a July 1 energy price hike that could see bills rise by 20% or more, the NSW Council of Social Service has released a new report showing that some households have been pushed to breaking point by high electricity bills. 
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The report was based on a survey of 440 people living below the poverty line in Australia and found many of them were forgoing basic health services and even meals in order to pay mounting electricity bills.
Of those surveyed, 22% were skipping meals to keep the lights on, while 25% were cancelling doctor’s appointments and 36% skipped seeing a dentist.
NCOSS Deputy CEO Melanie Fernandez told us “for these individuals and families, the reality is that they are not only skipping meals but delaying health treatment and even not using hot water to bath!”
A high percentage of families are living below the poverty line in Australia and some can’t put food on the table for their kids because of their cost of living. Is this the standard of living we have in Australia in 2017?
Many families are resorting to selling personal items to pay essential bills like water, energy and rent, we’re hearing stories of people turning lights off and going to bed early to save power.
Energy providers are expanding their hardship programs to cope with the expected increase in demand so clearly they know there’s a problem. Bad news is, the most vulnerable in the community often can’t access these programs because they don’t know about them.
The onus should be on providers to let their customers know about their hardship programs and also the available government rebates that are in place in most states.
Many providers offer pay-on-time discounts but if you can’t afford to pay on time you don’t get the discount!
A key change we’d like to see the government act on:
If you sign up to a “honeymoon package” for 12 months with a new retailer, at the end of that period you should automatically be transferred to another discounted plan or a mid-range plan.
Spare a thought for our regional members who often face power bills twice what city dwellers pay. Power companies will tell you this is to maintain infrastructure but Melanie from NCCOS believes it’s more an issue of lack of competition. “Rebates from government should be a percentage of your bill rather than a flat rate” she said.
Over to you. When was the last time you changed energy providers? Are you cutting back on essentials to make ends meet? Have you say below.
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