Electricity price rise shock
The announcement today by the NSW Water and Energy Ombudsman that utility complaints and disconnections are increasing shows that energy pricing in NSW is unsustainable.
Since energy prices rose by an average of 17.3 percent in July this year, ANGLICARE Sydney has seen a sharp increase in the amount of emergency assistance distributed for energy bills.
“Low income families simply cannot bear the rising cost of electricity”, said Sue King, Director of Advocacy at ANGLICARE Sydney.
“ANGLICARE Sydney has given out $10,000 more in assistance for energy bills in the first quarter of this financial year compared with the same time last year.
“The increase in the amount of energy assistance distributed directly relates to the increase in electricity prices”, said Ms King.
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) notes that Federal Government renewable energy targets are contributing significantly to increased network costs.
“While renewable energy is important, someone has to pay and low income families simply cannot afford to.
“One-off rebates offer temporary relief but are a poor use of public funds. Long term price sustainability for utilities must be achieved”, said Ms King.
ANGLICARE Sydney delivers around $200,000 every quarter to families who need emergency assistance paying utility bills.
“Energy assistance should be indexed to utility price rises and hard questions need to be asked about why electricity retailers are focusing on increasing profits while low income families suffer”, said Ms King.
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For interviews: Sue King, Director Advocacy ANGLICARE Sydney, 0423 567 006
