Energy bill relief to benefit just one Aussie demographic
Nearly half a million older Australians will receive hundreds of dollars in energy bill relief as the federal government looks to battle rising power prices.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth revealed that all Commonwealth seniors health card holders will be given up to $500 per household.
The 490,000-plus recipients will include an extra 16,320 people granted access to the card after the federal government introduced higher income thresholds for eligibility in November 2022.
The new income limits are $90,000 for singles and $144,000 (combined) for couples.
The government claimed this would benefit 52,000 older people by 2026-27.
Rishworth explained the energy relief would be available from July 2023.
The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) released its final determination on May 25, with a revised price increase higher than the March draft that saw a 20 to 22 per cent rise.
AER chair Clare Savage said it had been a “difficult decision” but high wholesale energy costs continued to hike up retail prices.
“No one wants to see rising prices, and we recognise this is a difficult time, that’s why it’s important for consumers to shop around for a better deal,” she said.
Following the AER’s announcement, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton appeared on Today and said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had “lied” to Australians about energy prices.
“Let’s be very clear about it, he promised on 97 occasions your bill would go down by $275,” he told Today host Karl Stefanovic.
“I think the government’s completely underestimating how much families and small businesses are hurting at the moment.”
The bill comes shortly after the Australian Energy Regulator revealed electric prices were set to increase by 25 per cent for about 600,000 customers across three states from July 1.
The federal government’s latest budget committed to $3 billion in financial support for those struggling to pay their power bill.
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