PIAC responded to the Department of Planning and Environment’s Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) draft Terms of Reference (ToR).
PIAC supports the proposed review period which includes multiple opportunities for consultation.
We also support the broad scope of the ToR considering both the long and short term assistance that is required to assist people experiencing energy bill payment difficulty. However, the EAPA Review process must focus on the outcomes (both short and long term) for people who receive EAPA as well as the outcomes for people who experience energy bill payment difficulty but do not receive it.
The Review is also an opportunity to explore issues such as who is excluded from EAPA eligibility, why payments are still provided in $50 increments, how to help address long term affordability issues and issues of inequality of assistance for electric only households.
