NSW North Coast low-income earners, retirees and pensioners can expect their household electricity bills to rise by between $31 and $90 a year on average depending on which power company supplies the house.This represents a rise of around 4.8 to 8.5 per cent, commencing on 1 July 2008.
With the inevitable network charges/service costs rise which would accompany the Iemma Government's planned privatisation and the expected steep rise in actual cost of electricity per kilowatt hour when emissions trading comes into being, North Coast residents may soon find that this essential service is moving beyond the limits of their pocket books.
Water use costs have also risen, so that in another four years it is likely that the Centrelink utility allowance will make barely a mark on the average household electricity and water bills of the elderly or disabled.
Many North Coast residents are permanent renters and therefore cannot take advantage of renewable energy rebates for energy saving systems which their landlords currently have no incentive to have installed in the first place.
The only option, for many elderly or chronically ill people surviving on low incomes, will be to cease making themselves hot meals or heating their homes on those cold winter nights.
Thanks, Messrs. Iemma and Costa and, thanks in advance to Mr. O'Farrell as it is obvious that the Liberal-Nationals Coalition intends to join in selling us all down the river to assist those big business political donors.
Photograph from ABC News
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