Queensland electricity disconnections head for record high
The Queensland Competition Authority’s latest electricity disconnection figures for non-payment of accounts released this week show the extent to which disadvantaged Queenslanders are struggling with spiralling costs, says the Queensland Council of Social Service.
“More than 7000 (7383) residential customers were disconnected for non-payment in the first quarter of the current financial year,” says QCOSS CEO Mark Henley. “This continues the upward trend in disconnection we have seen over the past three years. In 2010/11 we saw a 37 per cent rise in disconnections with a total for the year of 24,598. If the rate remains constant over the next three quarters, the annual disconnection rate will increase by another 20 per cent this year.
The quarterly report shows that nine per cent of residential customers disconnected and later reconnected in the same name at the same premises were reconnected after seven days or longer. “That’s a lot of people going a long time without power because they can’t afford to pay,” says Mark.
The Queensland Government is concerned at Queensland’s high rate of disconnections and is investigating the causes. QCOSS has provided input to this investigation and wants the government to improve concession arrangements, in particular by extending concessions to Health Care card holders.
“We look forward to the findings of this review and trust some positive recommendations will come out of it to assist disadvantaged Queenslanders cope with the ongoing electricity price spiral,” says QCOSS President Karyn Walsh.
Ergon Energy accounts for 41.7 per cent of residential disconnections (slightly less than in the previous quarter). “But I am encouraged by the fact Ergon customers make up 60.9 per cent of the total number of Queenslanders participating in energy hardship programs,” says Karyn. “This shows the company is working harder to assist customers in difficulty.
“In total 7209 Queenslanders participated in electricity hardship programs in the first quarter of the current financial year, reflecting both the struggle Queenslanders are having paying their bills and efforts being made by all retailers to offer advice and assistance to those in financial difficulty. It is encouraging to see more people becoming involved in these programs as we have long believed the uptake of programs in Queensland is not as high as it should be.
“We advise anyone having difficulty paying electricity bills to contact their retailer before they default or are disconnected. Retailers are obliged to offer assistance through hardship programs or payment plans,” says Karyn. “The Queensland Energy and Water Ombudsman (phone 1800 662 837, email info@ewoq.com.au) can also help people negotiate payment arrangements if consumers haven’t received adequate assistance from their retailer.”
The Queensland Competition Authority’s quarterly report is available at http://www.qca.org.au/electricity-retail/InfoRep/BillCodeStat.php.
