22 March 2015
$90 gas rebate for struggling NSW families
Low-income families will be given a $90 rebate on their gas bills should the Baird government be returned to power on Saturday.
In an 11th-hour pitch to battlers, the Coalition has pledged to extend the energy rebate scheme to help 290,000 families for the first time with the cost of gas.
It has also pledged to double the value of the Life Support rebate to an estimated 32,000 households relying on power to stay alive. The Life Support rebate will also be expanded to include about 6000 quadriplegic customers using electric mobility devices.
Costing more than $1 billion dollars over the next four years, NSW Premier Mike Baird said the new measures would also ensure 75,000 residents in retirement villages, residential communities and embedded network strata schemes had access to all NSW energy rebates.
“Under this plan, more funding will be available to a greater number of households, meaning less money spent on energy and more going back into people’s pockets,” Mr Baird said.
The rebate will be apply to concession-card holders.
Public Interest Advocacy Centre senior policy officer Oliver Derum said the scheme would help many struggling families.
“It is a sad fact, but there are families to whom $90 a year will make a difference,” Mr Derum said.
“We hear about people only showering every second day and eating cold meals to keep costs down.
“People often describe gas as a discretionary fuel but if you have a gas stove or gas hot water, there is no choice.”
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