Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Hansard source

I will not take the House's time for long tonight to talk about this bill, the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Energy Assistance Payment and Pensioner Concession Card) Bill 2017. I am very pleased to support this bill.

I do note, though, that Australia is facing a surging energy crisis. South Australia is on the crest of that wave. As you know, Deputy Speaker Coulton, we have had numerous blackouts in South Australia. We have had load-shedding, which means planned blackouts. We have the highest electricity prices in Australia, and we have the highest spot-price volatility in the National Electricity Market.

However, the rest of the country is not far behind South Australia, and the challenge of rising electricity costs is affecting households and businesses across our country. The energy markets are failing to deliver. If Australia is to remain internationally competitive, we need to make energy affordability a top priority in our country. Without energy affordability, our economy will grind to a halt and we will continue to impoverish our families and our households through rising energy costs.

I am particularly concerned about households who are on low and fixed incomes, and those for whom full-time or even part-time work is not a realistic option. These are people who are receiving the age pension, disability support pension, parenting payment single and various veterans' payments.

Whilst the Nick Xenophon Team continues to negotiate with the government to enhance longer-term energy security for both households and businesses, support is needed for our most impoverished Australians. They need this relief, and it is necessary right now. Future promises will not keep the heater on during the coming winter. So it is for this reason that the Nick Xenophon Team champions the payments contained in this bill, alongside our negotiations on a range of other energy policy measures that will help to put downward pressure on energy prices.

An estimated 3.8 million Australians will obtain relief for their energy bills with a one-off payment of $75 for singles and $125 for pensioner couples. Age pensioners, disability support pensioners, recipients of the parenting payment single and recipients of veterans' payments will all benefit from this.

On the surface, this may seem like an insignificant amount. However, I want to tell you one of the many stories I have heard from members of my community of Mayo. One elderly lady told me of her rising energy bills and that what that had meant to her last winter was that she could not afford to live beyond one room of her home until the middle of spring; during the coldest days, she would shut off that room and barely leave it, just to keep the heat on. Many elderly members of our community have spoken to me about how they stay in bed for most of the day because it is cheaper to put on the electric blanket than to run the heater, or of how they go to bed at 5 pm so that they do not have to turn on the heater in their living room. So I know firsthand that these payments will be put to good use by those in need. They are Australians who are incredibly vulnerable because of their age and have no capacity to increase their income or find employment.

We must remember, though, that it is imperative for the government to fix this. This is, for one year, one one-off payment. This is not a sustainable situation.

I am also pleased, though, that the government has decided to reinstate the pensioner concession card for those who are affected by changes in the age pension test that came into effect on 1 January this year. This will be of great benefit to retired Australians because it will provide them with access to state and council based concessions such as reduced council rates and reduced car registrations that will require the possession of a pensioner card, and this will also encourage many doctors who had stopped bulk-billing these retired Australians to resume bulk-billing them again.

So I am pleased with these measures. However, it is important for the government to look at the cost of living to make it easier for pensioners and our older Australians. They deserve that much from us.

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