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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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Henry
Henry from NSW commented:

While I agree with Max's comments to a great extent, I add one qualification. I have no objection to the family home being means tested - BUT - only after politicians change their own parliamentary pension scheme to access it only after reaching 65 / 67 etc. years old. Just like everyone else in the community 

max
max from QLD commented:

Governments don't have any money They have to take from someone, to give to someone else .Can't run on a creditcard and not pay intrest .Wake up Australia. 

Michael
Michael from WA commented:

Started work at 15 by joining the Navy, worked hard all my life in various other jobs, never been on the dole, moderate mortgage on my home, retired a couple of years ago. Can't get any benefits because they keep moving the goal post and now they want to asset test my home. Disgraceful. Must be tough up there with an 80% politician's pension. 

Col
Col from NSW commented:

They should just stay away from your principle place of residence, they screw us on everything else and tax us to the hilt! 

Roelf
Roelf from VIC commented:

A million dollar house is commonplace nowadays and those people still need assistance from the pension and to be rewarded for their contribution to our country. Only houses that are valued in the obscene category should lose the pension. One would think the latter category would not need a pension anyway but excluding them would have little effect on saving the country any money. I guess that the cost of an assessment of the home value would cost more in terms of administration and frustration than it would return. Not worth the exercise! 

Jennifer
Jennifer from NSW commented:

Leave the home alone but if you own a home, a car and have over $1,000,000 in super why do you get a part pension plus all the benefits that go with a regular pension. That is really over the top. Look at cutting back in this area. 

Someone
Someone from NSW replied to Jennifer:

Jennifer, I expect you have a full pension and resent anyone else getting it if they have a little more than you do. I am nearly 80 and have never received any welfare aged benitits etc. and I am stuggling with $1000s in medical bills each year making living very difficult. Everyone should receive the full pension by the age of 70 or 72 if we can't afford to pay everyone at 65. If we looked after our own hard working people before paying out such a high proportion of our taxes to people who have never contributed we would be a far better country. 

Someone
Someone from WA commented:

The Government is trying to squeeze us in a corner. To sell our large homes and buy a smaller property there is the stamp duty. To keep the big house and pay exorbitant amounts to maintain it, it will be means tested. I should've gone on the dole, spent my money on booze and smokes and got the government to support me in my old age. Is this how it works?? 

peter
peter from NSW commented:

Leave our homes alone ! If you have worked hard and gone without to secure your home it should not be included in any means test at all. You have worked for it instead of spending your hard earned dollars on superfluous and incidental other pursuits so leave our homes alone, we have made the decision to secure a home instead of p......ing it up against the wall. 

DIANNE
DIANNE from NSW commented:

I received your email re: life insurance. Out of interest, I checked the site to see what the cost of insurance would be. At this point I was only sticky beaking and wasn't interested in taking out a policy. The next day I received a phone call from the underwriting insurance company to see if I would be taking out a policy. VERY DISAPPOINTED that I couldn't make an innocent enquiry without being harassed by the company involved. Di. Newcastle. 

Kay
Kay from QLD commented:

As usual those that work hard and do not live on debt but put away to look after themselves all their lives are penalised. Absolutely the principal dwelling should not count for any pension.You are just encouraging people not to save or be responsible for themselves. 

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