Page 1808 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 4 May 2011
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MR SPEAKER: A supplementary, Ms Porter?
MS PORTER: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Minister, how far will this money go to address the rising cost of living, especially with regard to energy and water bills, following the news recently that water prices will rise from 1 July?
MR CORBELL: At the time that the ICRC announced its review of the price path in relation to water in the territory, I said that the government would respond to that. Yesterday, the government delivered on that promise.
We are spending $12.3 million over the next four years to increase the concessions payment regime for those lowest income households. This means additional assistance of up to $130 per year for each and every one of 25,000 households across the territory. The lowest income households, the poorest households in our community, are getting that very significant level of assistance with their water and energy costs.
How could the opposition criticise that? How can they dismiss that level of support to those who are most vulnerable, who are the poorest, who are the most vulnerable to changes in prices around essential services?
This investment, of course, comes on top of an investment in last year’s budget that saw a $20 increase per annum in the energy concession. Over the past two years, this government will have provided an increase in the total possible energy concession available to low income households of $150 per year—$150 per year to the 25,000 lowest income households across the territory. That is the response from a Labor government to assisting the poorest and the most vulnerable in our community. And all that those opposite can do is dismiss it, make it a joke, when in fact it will not be a joke for those households that get that assistance and that recognise it is helping them with the cost of essential utility services.
MR SPEAKER: A supplementary, Mr Hargreaves?
MR HARGREAVES: Thanks very much, Mr Speaker. Minister, what support is being provided to those in ACT public housing to increase their energy efficiency and deal with the cost of living?
MR CORBELL: Energy efficiency, of course, is the other very important part of this equation, because what the government is doing is marrying up the price support, the cash support, we provide to households to deal with the price of utilities with improving the energy efficiency of their dwellings and reducing their overall demand for those utility services and, of course, in doing so, reducing their costs.
In this year’s budget there is significant funding for improvements in energy efficiency in the public housing sector. This year we are providing $20 million of additional funding to improve the energy efficiency of housing in the ACT, with the aim that within 10 years all houses rated lower than three stars for energy efficiency be brought up to a three-star standard. This $8 million investment will double the capacity of public housing to implement this program. The funding will be used to
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