Page 3194 - Week 07 - Thursday, 1 July 2010
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
years gone by when the rate has not increased but that it was a step in the right direction and that, of course, is welcome.
The energy concession rebate used to be about 20 per cent of the average electricity bill, and so it had been dropping as a proportion of average electricity bills over the last five years. I will refer to figures from the ACTPLA submission to the budget this year, which note that the energy concession rate was $189 in 2004-05 and it increased just a fraction to $195 in 2008-09. In the same time, however, the average electricity bill has increased by $350. In that period in which the average electricity bill went up $350, the energy concession rebate was raised by $6. Clearly there is some work to do to ensure that those at risk of energy poverty in the ACT continue to be protected against energy price rises.
I was interested and a little disturbed to receive answers to a question on notice from the minister in regard to the aspirations for the energy concession rebate in the context of the need to protect those at risk from energy poverty. When I asked the minister what percentage of the average annual household energy bill the rebate would be aiming to deliver, the response was only 15 per cent compared to the historical level of around 20 per cent.
I am unclear as to how the government reached this conclusion of what was an acceptable level at which to let the rebate sit, because when I asked for the modelling that had been undertaken to determine the new rate for the energy concession, I was provided with a description of the modelling rather than the modelling itself. So it remains unclear to me how this decision was taken, but it should be recognised that this is a significant downgrade of the value of what the rebate used to be. I will be seeking to contact the minister further to find out how she has reached that conclusion of 15 per cent, what the aspirations are for the future and whether there is scope to give that further consideration in light of the obvious impact that energy bills can have on households that are perhaps economically vulnerable.
I will conclude by saying that we welcome the fact that the government has addressed this issue and that there has been an increase. It is important that this step has been taken, but I am concerned that it does leave people who are struggling to pay their energy bills exposed. It is a discussion we hope to continue with the government, particularly as we move towards next year’s budget.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (10.20): I just want to comment on one matter. I could speak on this in Chief Minister’s business or planning with ACTPLA, but most of the Indigenous information that we are sharing tonight seems to have been concentrated in DHCS, so I will do it here.
When Terry Williams appeared before the committee as the chair of the elected Indigenous body, he spoke about the lack of support from this government to give the Indigenous community independence through developing their own business. The encouragement that we as a community provide to Indigenous people in the ACT is very important, and I want to speak in particular about the Billabong Aboriginal Corporation.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video