A high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Victoria are facing imminent disconnection from their electricity.
The Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria (EWOV) found that more than 1 in 10 of their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander customers were facing looming disconnection.
That figure is closely followed by those who have actually been disconnected.
Compared to data for non-Indigenous Victorians, only 3.5 in 100 face imminent disconnection, while actual disconnections did not make the top five issues.
The Ombudsman found “given that disconnections are clearly framed as a measure of last resort … PDF (Payment Difficulty Framework) measures are not being applied as they should be for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander customers, and there is significant scope for retailers to improve their service levels for those customers”.
Daniel Andrews’ Energy Fairness Plan is failing to help some of Victoria’s most vulnerable.
Comment attributable to Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs Peter Walsh
Labor’s ‘Fairness’ plan is failing to provide Indigenous Victorians with fair, culturally-appropriate assistance which is leaving them at higher risk of disconnection.
The pandemic has worsened pressure on people struggling to make ends meet, but despite promising to do more, less support is being delivered by the Andrews Labor Government.
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Energy and Renewables Ryan Smith
The Labor Energy Fairness Plan has perpetrated further inequality for Ingenious peoples during the pandemic.
The snap-lockdowns have created financial hardship for all Victorians, with some of the worst affected being our nation’s First Peoples.
