Home energy emergency assistance
While not a concession, the Home Energy Emergency Assistance Scheme provides one-off emergency assistance to low income households suffering a short-term financial crisis (within the past 12 months), and who are unable to pay their current electricity and/or reticulated natural gas account and are at risk of disconnection.
To be eligible you must:
- hold a concession card, or
- be registered on your energy retailer's hardship program or on a payment plan, or
- have a base income of no more than the Commonwealth Government's maximum income rate for part age pensioners. For rate information, refer to the Centrelink publication A guide to Australian Government payments, available through the Centrelink website (www.centrelink.gov.au) or its offices.
Energy retailers will initiate the application process following consideration of all the eligibility criteria. They may encourage you to commit to a payment plan to manage future payment of your energy usage.
For more information, contact your energy retailer whose number appears on your energy account.
Last reviewed: 05 November 2009