Feeling chill of winter

WE are barely days into winter and already locals are feeling the pinch.

SalvosConnect Barwon’s Doorways service is reporting disturbingly large numbers of requests for assistance in recent weeks, including from one local who had been forced to disconnect her utilities due to the high costs.

Around 1500 calls for help have been lodged with the service in the past month, and Doorways is struggling to meet the constant demand for blankets and warm clothing.

And it seems, as always, that it is our community’s frail, elderly and vulnerable that are struggling the most.

If there is a feeling of inevitability and deja vu about all this, it is because many people were facing exactly the same issues last winter. Newspaper pages were filled with stories of people feeling the strain of rising power costs on the weekly budget — many resorting to turning off the heating in order to save money.

This year the numbers seem to be growing, as our booming property market, rising house prices and dearth of rental properties means there are more people living under housing stress. When more than half of your weekly pay packet is spent just putting a roof over your head, it is no wonder that your instincts might make you grab a blanket rather than turn on the heater.

Last year, it seemed every politician had an opinion on the issue. Depending on their level of government, political persuasion or personal agenda, contributing factors offered ranged from the Renewable Energy Target, closure of the Hazelwood power station and coal mine, or the chronic shortage of a domestic natural gas supply. For a long time rising energy bills were blamed on the now defunct carbon tax – which was abolished in 2014 – but energy prices have actually risen since the unpopular tax was abandoned.

A whole year later and the problem still exists. Opinions are great, but mean little to the people who are going without power because they can’t afford it. It is time for a solution.