Are you missing out on energy concessions?
Nearly two-thirds of Australian concession card holders are not aware they may be eligible for energy concessions on bills
A new independent report has been released by Melbourne University’s Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research, found that nearly two-thirds of Australian concession card holders are not aware they may be eligible for energy concessions on bills.
It also found that of Australians experiencing energy hardship, concession holders appear to be the most vulnerable, with nearly 2 in 5 reporting energy hardship compared with just over 1 in 5 percent for non-concession holders.
The report also found that over 4 in 10 of concession card holders have changed their heating and cooling settings to reduce their energy bills.
This report is part of the Energy Charter’s #BetterTogether National Concessions Awareness and Engagement Campaign “Keep the money. It’s yours.” which was aimed at raising awareness amongst concession card holders that they may be eligible for concessions or rebates on their energy bills, as well as understand what they need to do to apply for these.
Discover who is more likely to be missing out
From our June 2023 research in partnership with independent outcome evaluators at Melbourne University’s Melbourne Institute, as part of Taking the Pulse of the Nation survey, shows a whopping 60 percent of eligible Australians entitled to energy bill concessions are failing to claim them.
Do you have a Commonwealth Concession Card?
In an independent survey of nearly 1,000 Australians found some staggering numbers of Commonwealth Concession Card holders who are missing out on eligible concessions.
Did you know that:
- Over 40% are Health Care Card Holders
- Over 50% are Pension Card Holders
- Women are slightly more likely to be eligible for concessions
- Women are also slightly more likely to be missing out
- Nearly half of those missing out are aged 65+, significantly the largest age group than any other missing out.
How does your state stack up?
In an independent survey of over 1,000 Australians found that Victoria has the highest number of customers applying for energy concessions in Australia, whereas New South Wales and Queensland have the highest number of customers missing out on energy concessions in Australia.
Don't miss out on government support
Ongoing energy concessions can help reduce electricity and gas bills. Today, many people are facing increasing energy prices and other cost-of-living pressures.
Do you, or someone you know, have a Commonwealth concession card such as a Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card, Centrelink HealthCare Card or Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card?
Then you may be missing out on energy concessions that are yours.
Sunrise Special Report: Power down your energy bill
This research was recently featured on Channel 7’s Sunrise to Australia wide, reaching millions of people to help raise awareness on those missing out on energy concessions.
In the segment, Kerry, a nurse from VIC discovered she could access energy concessions since she had a Health Care Card.
“Over 3 years, I’ve probably saved roughly $700-750 … When you are saving between your electricity and gas, perhaps that $50 over the quarter, that’s an enormous amount to save that can go to other things.”
The research shows that millions of Australian households are missing out on hundreds of dollars worth of savings because they don’t know they’re eligible for concessions.
Want to help spread the 'Keep the Money. It's yours.' message?
It’s easy to get involved! Discover the National Energy Concessions Campaign Promotion Toolkit makes it easy for you to raise awareness about ongoing energy concessions among your customers and communities.
Reach out to our Director, Energy Equity
If you would like more information about the Concessions Awareness and Engagement Campaign, including how you can get involved, please reach out to Bec Jolly Director, Energy Equity.