$500 energy bill relief: Thousands more eligible for payment
Thousands more Aussies are now eligible to receive a $500 energy bill relief payment from the government, after the scheme was expanded.
The NSW government has expanded the payments to cover Carer Allowance recipients, Low Income Health Care Card holders and Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) Gold Card holders.
Meanwhile, the SA government has expanded the rebate to include Commonwealth Family Tax Benefit recipients, people receiving a Carer Allowance and holders of certain DVA cards.
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Initially, the relief was only automatically applied to people already receiving existing state government energy assistance.
It’s estimated that an additional 55,000 people in NSW are now eligible for the payments, a NSW Environment and Heritage Department spokesperson told Yahoo Finance. About 1.6 million NSW households in total are eligible for the scheme.
South Australia is now rolling out the second instalment of the payment to the 420,000 households eligible for the scheme, including those newly eligible.
"This is a significant milestone in the rollout of National Energy Bill Relief in New South Wales, with payments now available for all eligible consumers,” Climate Change and Energy Minister Penny Sharpe said.
"We understand many people are doing it particularly tough as cost-of-living pressures continue, and we want everyone to access the support they are eligible for.”
“As we head into Christmas, a reduction in energy bills will provide some relief at what is traditionally a very expensive time of year,” South Australian Treasurer Stephen Mullighan said.
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What is the $500 energy bill relief scheme?
The National Energy Bill Relief Plan gives eligible Aussies a rebate of up to $500 off their electricity bills for the 2023-24 financial year.
It was first announced as part of this year’s federal budget and is co-funded by the Australian government and states and territories. Who is eligible, how much you can get and when you can get it depends on where you live.
Aussies can check their eligibility for the scheme for each state and territory here.
How do I get the rebate?
The NSW government said newly eligible people could apply for the $500 relief now, with applications opening up six weeks ahead of schedule. You can check your eligibility and apply for the scheme through the NSW government website.
