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News$700k worth of savings tips from the government
$700k worth of savings tips from the government

$700k worth of savings tips from the government

Tags: Energy Information
Last updated by Someone on

Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, you would have noticed all the talk about energy prices. If you have been off the grid (pun intended), there’s no hiding from your energy bill, which will find you eventually. 

And so will the Federal Government’s latest $700,000 ad campaign!

Launched this month, the Powering Forward Campaign reportedly cost tax-payers $300,000 for 60 seconds of airtime during the AFL & NRL Grand Finals, and as much as $700,000 in fees to a Melbourne ad agency.

There's some useful information buried in there, but it's hidden behind propaganda pushing the government's energy policy credentials.

What do you think of the campaign?

Our take? The website contains some useful info for people wanting to save on power bills, for example it links to the Energy Made Easy comparison site and the Victorian Switchon site to compare offers.

It also contains energy efficiency tips for households, which can be handy.

But all that useful stuff is buried behind the silly “powering forward” slogan and some bumph about the Government’s Snowy Hydro 2.0 and gas reservation policies.

They’re important, but we’d like to see the moneysaving info up front and centre!

Here’s something else you can do to save.

A couple of months back, the Fiftyup Club started our Power-Up Campaign,  which now boasts a staggering 50,000 registrations nationally That tells us that you do want to do something about energy prices even if it’s just to send a message to power companies that enough is enough.

While Australia may rank second in the world for quality-of-life, we rate first in the world for the highest energy prices. Data from the Carbon + Energy Markets' MarkIntell service says we’re ahead of Germany, Denmark and Italy with 4 Australian states in the top ten (click here to see the list).

This despite Australia having every energy resource available in the world including coal, wind, solar, nuclear and sea-water hydro power.

What can you do? It’s as easy as picking up the phone, calling your energy retailer and asking for a better deal. Don’t take no for an answer. The energy market has never been so competitive and you can get results, with many members reporting savings in the hundreds of dollars.

Click here to see the latest Fiftyup Club energy offers, extended for a limited time only


 

 

Originally posted on .

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Someone
Someone from QLD commented:

No your principle residence should not be part of the pension means test. No-one should be forced to sell their home in order to receive a livable income. If you own your own home you have obviously worked hard and payed your share of tax. 

Jennifer
Jennifer from NSW commented:

I think the Govt. should leave the elderly and disabled alone along with all their possessions, These people are the ones that have made this country what it is today. 

Barbara
Barbara from NSW commented:

It won't affect me because I do not have a large home and do not live in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, but I think Sydneysiders will be more affected than the rest of Australia, so I do not think it should happen. 

Virginia
Virginia from WA commented:

This government is looking at all the ways it can to penalise working Australians. I am a paraplegic, I have worked hard to get 3 days work, they have taken me off the DSP which meant more hardship for me to survive. I would have been better off not working & kept the DSP but that is not how I want to leave nor the example for my little girl, I want to provide the best for her but it is hard. How many of you voted this government in & thinking it was going to be better. I did not. 

Stephanie
Stephanie from NSW commented:

Our family home should be exempt of any means test, haven't we paid enough tax in our working life and worked to get a nice comfortable home to retire with? My son and his partner (and any children they have) are living with us because it is too hard for them to save for a good deposit and anyway he will have the house when we are gone. Our house is big enough for all and we do not get in each other's way, so find something else. 

Anne
Anne from NSW commented:

Can't believe that people who work all their lives to achieve something can be penalised for this effort in their sunset years! 

Rodney
Rodney from NSW commented:

Leave the family home alone PROVIDED THAT it is in the name(s) of the Retiree(s)/ Pensioner(s). If they have huge amounts in Superannuation, then that will be reflected in a reduced Age Pension as it already is I believe. 

John
John from NSW commented:

Leave the family home alone 

Ivy
Ivy from NSW commented:

IVY from NSW commented: 

Marion
Marion from QLD commented:

I think that the family home should be exempt up to a certain point - after pensions or self funded people have to live somewhere - how do they expect us to upkeep our home. But if your can afford to own a home morgage free worth more than 1 million in retirement that some of that should be included in the means test for the pension. 

Someone
Someone from NSW replied to Marion:

Why should a home worth more than any sum be included in an Assests test? Why should we have an Assests test at all? Most Western Countries do not means test the age pension. Most countries reward for effort not penalise as we do in Australia. 

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