They come as figures from the Consumer Policy Research Centre suggested more than one in 10 Victorians are seeking financial hardship support from their energy provider.a representative survey of 1,500 Victorians
One in 20 people had borrowed money from friends or family to pay their energy bill and 6% reported they had to miss a payment.The centre’s chief executive, Erin Turner, said in the context of cost-of-living increases, energy bills seemed to be running ahead of other essential services, with 7% of respondents seeking help with their mobile phone bills, 6% needing help to pay for internet and 6% appealing to their bank for hardship assistance.
The survey showed 22% of single parents and 16% of couples with children had asked for payment assistance on an energy bill, while 16% of single parents and 8% of couples with children said they had to miss a payment.