By Vanessa Chircop
A report released by the St Vincent de Paul Society last week revealed electricity prices across the state had risen by 18 per cent in just six months, with AGL customers in Sydenham, Williamstown, Yarraville and Broadmeadows some of the worst affected.
All three energy retailers AGL, Origin and Tru issued new standing electricity and gas offers that resulted in price increases in January.
The bill increases for average usage households (4800kWh) vary from $35 to $210 with AGL having the highest supply charge for electricity across all network areas.
AGL customers in the North West and Western suburbs (Jemena’s network area) continue to pay the greatest supply charge, now reaching almost $1 per day for single rate electricity customers.
GoSwitch CEO Ben Freund said supply charges in the West were the highest in Melbourne because suburbs in the West all fall under the same distributor.
“It is a form of discrimination in our view, and there’s nothing residents can do about this, because there’s a monopoly on the distribution.”
Mr Freund said the wholesale price of electricity had actually gone down, and there were no major works to justify the price hike.
Member for Williamstown Wade Noonan MP said people should be questioning why the West was facing the highest energy price increases.
“Our power companies must do a better job at explaining why we have to bear the brunt of these increases,” Mr Noonan said.
“I think its incumbent on the new government to examine in detail whether the current arrangements are fair and equitable.
“Ted Baillieu was elected on the back of the Coalition’s elaborate promise to tackle the cost of living pressures. People living in the West will be watching what the new government does to minimise the increases to their power bills.”
St Vincent de Paul Society social policy unit manager Gavin Dufty is warning Victorians to prepare for this steep increase.
