The vulnerable in the district are choosing between heating and eating this winter.
If they turn on heating to keep themselves warm during the chilly nights, many say they will be faced with eye-watering power bills.
So, what does the public do?
The [Naracoorte Community] News asked our decision makers to explain why we have one of the highest electricity prices in the world and what is being done to give regional South Australians some relief.
Naracoorte Lucindale mayor Patrick Ross says the new electricity cuts announced by the state government which equates to $63 for average households and around $512 for small businesses “does not go very far on a winter heating bill”.
Mr Ross said he has been wading his way through the Australian Local Government Conference motions for next week, and one of the large areas of concern for local governments throughout South Australia is energy and cost of living.
“The other one is around housing.
“The Australian Local Government Association, which is made up of 573 local governments, us being one of them, will be advocating for the Federal Government to do more.
“More doesn’t happen overnight.”
Mr Ross said our high-power prices are an ongoing issue and the Federal Government needs to do something urgently to give our people some relief.
“By the time you pay your rent, electricity, water, and fuel, there may not be very much left over to heat and eat,” Mr Ross said.
With the ongoing food and power crisis, he said he was listening to the Food Bank, and unfortunately, their demand has risen by an extraordinary percentage in recent months.
“I don’t know how this is going to be, and I think people will have to be very careful with how they spend their money.”
Shadow Minister for Energy and Net Zero, Stephen Patterson, said the Liberal Party was “shocked” by our energy costs.
“After calling for energy rebates for all households to ease cost of living pressures, Premier Peter Malinauskas cut the initiative altogether from the State Budget, leaving concession card holders and small businesses in the lurch,” Mr Patterson said.
He claimed families have never had the chance to be eligible for the rebate.
“The cost of living and the cost of doing business are out of control, and we know regional communities are suffering as prices continue to skyrocket.
“South Australia is now the only jurisdiction in the country to not offer energy rebates, which makes no sense when we pay some of the highest electricity prices in the world.”
But the state government says they are doing a lot to cut down on electricity costs, and the opposition is fear-mongering on prices.
A state government spokesperson said bigger-than-expected cuts to electricity bills have been locked in for South Australian households and small businesses from next month under the Default Market Offer recently confirmed by the independent Australian Energy Regulator.
The spokesperson said these cuts equate to $63 for average households and around $512 for small businesses—at 8.8 per cent, the biggest percentage reduction in the nation—which will help ease financial pressure on South Australian consumers.
“These larger cuts highlight the irresponsible fear-mongering on prices by the Opposition, which was wildly and irresponsibly predicting rises of up to 20 per cent.
“It follows a recent Australian Energy Market Operator report showing South Australia has recorded the biggest price drops for wholesale electricity and gas in the nation.”
The spokesperson said these reductions will complement the Malinauskas Government’s measures to assist vulnerable households manage the cost of living as well as the Australian Government’s $300 rebates to all residential accounts.
“The State Labor Government’s one-off additional Cost of Living Concession payment of $243.90 landed in the bank accounts of more than 210,000 South Australian households just this week.
“This payment was funded in a $51.5 million commitment announced in this month’s 2024–25 State Budget.
“It will provide immediate and targeted support to South Australians on low or fixed incomes at the onset of winter when energy bills increase for many households.”
Everyone who received the 2023–24 Cost of Living Concession, whether a homeowner, tenant, or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holder, will receive the same amount of $243.90.
According to the spokesperson, this additional payment is being paid automatically into bank accounts by electronic funds transfer (EFT), and people can check that the additional payment has landed in their bank account by looking for a payment of $243.90 with the payment description ‘Concessions COLC’.
This once-off additional Cost of Living Concession payment is part of the $266.2 million cost of living relief package announced in the 2024–25 State Budget.
This package also included $36.6 million over four years to permanently double the Cost of Living Concession for tenants and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders so they get paid the same as homeowners from 2024–25.
This means that from July 1, 2024, all eligible recipients will get the new standard amount of $255.60, with this payment to be made from August.
According to the Opposition, South Australia is currently navigating the energy trilemma: energy security, emissions reduction, and energy affordability.
“The Labor Party has prioritised emissions reduction, impacting power bills and grid reliability,” Mr Patterson said.
“The Labor Party has prioritised emissions reduction, impacting upon power bills and grid reliability. They aim for 100 per cent renewables, sidelining energy security and affordability concerns.”
This article appeared in the Naracoorte Community News.
