Winter fuel bills take a toll on Tasmanians

THE STATE Government should provide a winter energy supplement to Tasmanians struggling to pay their energy bills, the Labor Party said.

Shadow Minister for Energy David O’Byrne said the Liberal’s ongoing refusal to provide relief to Tasmanians is causing avoidable distress in the community and must be reversed.
‘Labor has been warning for months of the looming impact of winter energy bills on already-stretched household budgets,’ Mr O’Byrne said.

‘Many bills issued in the last quarter were estimated as a result of energy companies deciding it was a health and safety risk for meter readers to attend properties during the early days of COVID-19.

‘That means the bills that are arriving in people’s letterboxes right now include catch-up charges, which are causing severe bill shock.’

The government said customers needing help with power bills should contact Aurora, phone 1300 13 2003.