Electricity Rebates Needed for Over-65's

Labour candidate calls on power companies to sign up to SuperGold card discounts

Amidst reports of rising electricity prices Labour Candidate for Botany, Brenden Sheehan, today called on the electricity industry to begin offering discounted power bills to senior citizens.

Mr Sheehan said that while many thousands of businesses had signed up to the SuperGold card scheme introduced by the government last year to offer discounts to over 65's, to date not a single electricity retailer had joined.

'The electricity industry makes hundreds of millions of dollars in profit every year' said Mr Sheehan. 'For example Contact and Mercury Energy between them made $200 million in the first half of this financial year alone.'

'It is high time they gave some of it back by reducing the burden on our senior citizens who have contributed so much to the nation'.

Mr Sheehan said that with winter approaching he was concerned that many older people were avoiding using heating because of high electricity costs.

'As I have been doorknocking in the electorate I have come across a number of superannuants who have told me they do not use their heaters because they are concerned about being unable to pay their power bill. This is not acceptable and it is time for industry to act.'

He said that power rebate schemes for pensioners were common in many parts of the world, and that both Australia and the UK offer generous rebates.

ENDS

© Scoop Media