Victorian households continue to grapple with escalating energy costs, as recent data reveals a significant surge in the number of customers seeking financial assistance for their bills.
According to the Essential Services Commission's Victorian Energy Market Report: June 2024, more than 70,000 electricity customers accessed tailored assistance in March, marking a 10 per cent rise from the previous year.
Concurrently, the report highlighted a 17 per cent increase in gas customers seeking financial support during the same period, indicating a growing strain on household budgets.
The increase in customers seeking assistance follows the news that Victorians have experienced the biggest increases in electricity and gas prices in Australia in the past year.
A January 2024 report released by St Vincent de Paul Society revealed that Victorian energy consumers faced steep price hikes, with electricity costs surging by 28 per cent and gas prices rising by 22 per cent.
State Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, said it was hard to reconcile the cost increases when towns in her electorate were continuing to suffer from unreliable power supply.
“Despite massive increases in bills, many of our local towns are still suffering from a lack of reliable power, with regular outages being recorded in towns such as Nagambie and Euroa,” she said.
“The cost-of-living increases associated with these higher bills are being felt especially hard in regional communities and the Allan Labor Government’s inability to keep energy prices down is completely unacceptable.
“Labor has increased taxes and charges on Victorians, have squandered billions on project cost overruns, and now they have allowed massive surges in gas and electricity prices that will further increase the pressure on our households.
“Labor cannot manage money, cannot manage the energy system, and Victorians are paying the price.”
After power outages left much of the region without electricity earlier in the year, AusNet research found that electricity only households were saddled with significantly higher costs than those who had gas connections as well.
Electricity only customers spent on average $1100 to respond to an outage over Christmas, whereas if they had gas connections too, that amount was reduced to just $360.
The Victorian Government has been contacted for a comment.