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The New South Wales Council of Social Service (NCOSS) has called for additional targeted support and better promotion of current rebate programs, after a new report revealed almost a third of households are struggling to pay their power bills.
The Consumer Energy Report Card also found 62 percent of Australians were too afraid to heat or cool their homes due to increasing prices.
This echoes the findings in NCOSS’s Affordability Crisis Snapshot, released last month, which revealed more middle-income households are being pushed into poverty for the first time due to the intensifying cost-of-living crisis.
The Snapshot found 47 percent of people experiencing poverty skipped meals more than once per week, while a concerning 61 percent went without important medical or dental appointments due to cost.
NCOSS CEO, Cara Varian, said more people are struggling to make ends meet, especially in NSW.
“We shouldn’t be in a situation where people must make the difficult choice between paying their rent or mortgage, heating or cooling their homes or putting food on the table.
“Financial hardship also has a cost on relationships, cutting people off from their family, friends and community. This forced withdrawal further perpetuates the cycle of loneliness and isolation, exposing them to lower levels of happiness, life satisfaction and poorer mental health.
“Many people in poverty cannot afford their everyday needs, and unfortunately that means an increasing number of people are compromising their well-being to survive day-to-day,” Ms Varian said.
NCOSS has called on the NSW Government to increase and better promote the NSW Seniors Energy Rebate, the Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) vouchers, the Low-Income Household Rebate and the Gas Rebate.