Volume 18 ISSN 2200-2332
DECEMBER 2013
TheLink
AT A GLANCE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS
In this issue
Highlights in this issue include the new Excess Energy Concession which commenced on 1 December 2013. We share information about
the Life Support Concession and the Medical Cooling Concession available for people with medical needs. And we provide details of other
government programs – Carer Card, Smarter Choice, My Power Planner and My consumer rights – that aim to help consumers.
Diary date: Non-Mains Energy Concession applications are due on
31 January 2014
The Non-Mains Energy Concession assists cardholders who use liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), firewood
or heating oil for domestic heating, cooking or hot water, or who access non-mains electricity via an
embedded network, or who rely on a generator.
People with a Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card or Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card are eligible to
apply for this concession. Application forms are available from LPG suppliers, local councils, caravan park
proprietors or by contacting the Concessions Information Line on 1800 658 521 (toll free).
Excess Energy Concession
The Department of Human Services introduced the new Excess Energy Concession on 1 December 2013. Concession households
with annual bills of more than $2,763 for electricity or more than $1,462 for gas during the winter period – 1 May to 31 October
– will need to apply for the Excess Energy Concession to continue to receive the 17.5 per cent concession on energy consumed
above these amounts.
It is expected that 95 per cent of concession households will not be affected and will continue to receive a concession of 17.5 per
cent on their full energy usage, less the carbon price threshold.
Recipients of the Life Support Concession and the Medical Cooling Concession are pre-approved for the Excess Energy
Concession.
Eligibility and how to apply
To be eligible for the concession applicants need a Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card or Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card.
The electricity or gas retailer will check if applicants need to apply for the Excess Energy Concession and provide an application
form. To apply, eligible concession cardholders will need to submit a completed application to the Department of Human Services.
The department will check the applicant’s eligibility, and the retailer will calculate the Excess Energy Concession and apply the
discount to the applicant’s energy bill.
For more information contact the Concessions Information Line on 1800 658 521 (toll free) or
visit www.dhs.vic.gov.au/concessions
Extending The Link
We encourage you to share The Link
with other interested stakeholders.
To subscribe or give us feedback email
concessions.communications@dhs.vic.gov.au
The Link – December 2013
2
Life Support Concession available for
electricity and water all year round
Medical Cooling Concession provides extra
discounts for medical conditions
The Life Support Concession provides
a quarterly discount on electricity and
water bills where a household member
uses an eligible life support machine.
This concession is available to both
renters and homeowners all year round.
The Medical Cooling Concession
provides a 17.5 per cent discount
on summer electricity costs for
cardholders where a member of the
family has a medical condition which
affects the body’s ability to regulate
temperature. This concession is
available from 1 November to
30 April each year and applications
are accepted throughout the year.
The concession is given in addition to
the Annual Electricity Concession.
(illustrations)
For electricity bills the discount is equal
to the cost of 1,880 kilowatt hours (470
kilowatt hours per quarter) of electricity
used each year which is calculated using
the retailer’s general domestic tariff.
For water bills the discount is equal to the cost of 168 kilolitres
(42 kilolitres per quarter) of water used each year. This discount is
only applicable for haemodialysis machines.
Qualifying machines
Qualifying life support machines are those that use at least 1,880
kilowatt hours per annum.
Machines already approved are:
• intermittent peritoneal dialysis machines (electricity)
• oxygen concentrators (electricity)
• haemodialysis machines (electricity and water).
Most continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP) machines do
not meet this threshold. For other life support machines contact
the Concessions Information Line on the number below.
Eligibility and how to apply
To be eligible for the concession, applicants need a Pensioner
Concession Card, Health Care Card or Veterans’ Affairs Gold
Card. For an application form contact the electricity retailer
or water corporation or the hospital supplying the life support
machine or the Concessions Information Line on 1800 658 521
(toll free). Application forms need to be completed and signed by
the applicant’s doctor, nurse or hospital social worker confirming
the use of a life support machine.
Once completed, the form should be sent to the electricity retailer
or water corporation. The electricity retailer or water corporation
will check the applicant’s concession card details with Centrelink
and apply the discount to their bill.
Qualifying conditions
There are many qualifying conditions which include:
• multiple sclerosis
•lymphoedema
• Parkinson’s disease
•fibromyalgia
• post-polio syndrome/poliomyelitis
• motor neurone disease.
For all other conditions contact the Concessions Information Line.
Eligibility and how to apply
To be eligible for the concession, applicants need a Pensioner
Concession Card, Health Care Card or Veterans’ Affairs Gold
Card. Contact the electricity retailer for an application form or
contact the Concessions Information Line on 1800 658 521 (toll
free). The application form needs to be completed and signed by
the applicant’s doctor confirming the medical condition.
Once completed, the form should be sent to the electricity retailer.
The electricity retailer will check the applicant’s concession card
details with Centrelink and apply the discount to their bill.
For more information contact the Concessions Information
Line on 1800 658 521 (toll free) or
visit www.dhs.vic.gov.au/concessions
For more information contact the Concessions Information
Line on 1800 658 521 (toll free) or
visit www.dhs.vic.gov.au/concessions
A new quarterly edition of In focus is available now
In focus is the Department of Human Services e-newsletter for funded community service organisations; and
provides regular information about programs, services, funding and initiatives. For more information visit
www.dhs.vic.gov.au/about-the-department/news-and-events/news/in-focus.
The Link – December 2013
Concessions information online
Fact sheets
Concessions apply to water, gas, electricity and municipal rates
and are offered to make essential services more affordable for lowincome households. Fact sheets are now available to explain each
concession, including the eligibility criteria, how to apply, and the
value of the concession. Download the fact sheets at www.dhs.
vic.gov.au/about-the-department/documents-and-resources/
reports-publications/concessions-fact-sheets.
Victorian Concessions brochure
The Victorian Concessions brochure
covers all Victorian Government
concessions, as well as other state
government programs available to
concession cardholders. Download
the brochure at www.dhs.vic.gov.au/
about-the-department/documentsand-resources/reports-publications/
victorian-concessions or contact
the Concessions Information Line
on 1800 658 521 (toll free) or email
concessions@dhs.vic.gov.au to
request a copy.
Concessions data for 2012-13
Information about the number of households receiving Department
of Human Services concessions and concessions expenditure
for the past three years is available from the department’s
website. To view or download this information visit: www.dhs.
vic.gov.au/about-the-department/documents-and-resources/
reports-publications/department-of-human-servicesconcessions-2012-13
3
The Victorian
Carer Card
supports those
who care
The Victorian Carer Card is provided to carers in recognition
of their valuable contribution to the community. The card gives
carers access to discounts, benefits and savings from a range of
businesses.
More than 900 organisations across Victoria – from Tyrepower to
Australia Post – provide discounts on products and services such
as public transport, leisure, health and well-being through their
involvement in the Carer Card program.
The Carer Card is available to all unpaid primary carers including:
• Foster, kinship or primary carers and carers who care for
vulnerable children who are unable to live with their parents
• Carer Payment recipients who care for people with a disability
or severe or chronic medical condition
• Carer Allowance recipients who care for frail aged or people in
need of palliative care.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a Carer Card, carers must either be in receipt
of carer income support such as a Carer Payment or Carer
Allowance through Centrelink or payments to provide foster,
respite or permanent care from the Victorian Department of
Human Services.
For those carers who don’t receive these payments, eligibility is
based on providing at least 20 hours of care each week. Carers
can ask their GP to sign their application for a Carer Card to
confirm their eligibility.
For more information about how to apply for the Carer Card visit
www.carercard.vic.gov.au or call 1800 901 958 toll free, during
business hours.
Smarter choice helps reduce the cost of living
The Victorian Government’s Smarter Choice program helps Victorians get information and advice on the best hardware products to help
reduce energy, water and waste around the home and garden.
Over 100 new Home Timber and Hardware and Thrifty-Link Hardware stores have been added to the Smarter Choice retail program. The
Smarter Choice retail program gives consumers practical in-store information to help them choose energy and water efficient appliances,
hardware, home entertainment and lighting products.
Home Timber and Thrifty-Link Hardware customers are able to access in-store brochures outlining energy and water efficiency tips for
products such as lighting, composting, insulation, draught proofing, mulching, solar hot water systems, hot water systems and solar
photovoltaic systems.
For example, at point of purchase the customer will learn that the average Victorian household can save around $60 per year by
replacing halogen down lights with energy efficient down lights in a typical living room.
More than 500 stores participate in the program and Victorians can access the expert advice and information they need to help reduce
household energy bills. Retailers include Beacon Lighting, Betta Electrical, Bunnings, Camberwell Electrics, David Jones, Dahlsens,
ELGAS, E&S Trading, The Good Guys, Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Mitre 10, Myer, Retravision, Warehouse Sales and other leading
independent retailers.
For more information visit www.sustainability.vic.gov.au for more practical energy and money saving tips.
The Link – December 2013
Switch on and take charge of power costs
Understanding how energy is used in the home, as well as
understanding electricity offers, is key to keeping power bills
under control. Victorian households and small businesses with a
remotely-read Smart Meter can now use online tools to compare
their electricity use to other households and discover ways to
save energy.
The Victorian Government’s My Power Planner is an independent
tool that allows the upload of electricity usage data, or the creation
of a power profile based on the size of the household and how
electricity is used. It can help consumers understand savings from
flexible pricing or changing the times electricity is used.
Flexible pricing provides an incentive for people to use power at
times during which there is less demand and is an important part
of helping manage peak demand. Instead of paying for electricity
at a flat rate, flexible pricing sets rates depending on when power
is being used. Becoming familiar with rates for peak, off-peak and
shoulder times allows people who choose a flexible pricing offer to
save money by choosing when to use their appliances.
Strong consumer protections will also cover the new flexible
pricing arrangements being offered by electricity retailers. If they
decide to change to a flexible pricing offer, electricity customers
need to give either written or verbal consent to an electricity
retailer. Current time-of-use offers provided by some energy
retailers do not have these consumer protections.
Retailers have a range of flexible pricing offers with various rates at
peak, off-peak and shoulder times.
Flexible pricing offer example:
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A brochure titled Introduction to Flexible Pricing provides a simple
overview and introduction to flexible pricing and shows an example
of how a flexible pricing offer could work. A booklet Take charge
of your power bill is also available, which gives detailed information
and tips on how households can reduce their energy usage.
Electronic versions of the brochure and the booklet are available
from the Switch On website below.
For more information
on flexible pricing
or to use My Power
Planner to compare
retailer offers, visit
www.switchon.vic.gov.au
My consumer rights provides accessible
information in multilingual videos
Consumer Affairs Victoria has launched a series of videos for new
migrants and refugees, the ‘My consumer rights’ videos. They are
in seven languages – Arabic, Dinka, Karen, Farsi, Nepalese, Tamil
and English – and target culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD)
consumers, especially new and emerging communities.
The videos use a storyboard style, are each about 90 seconds
long and inform consumers of their rights under the Australian
Consumer Law (ACL) when buying goods and services. The topics
covered include:
• shopping rights
•contracts
•refunds
• guarantees and warranties
• resolving issues and lodging
• lay-by agreements complaints, for
example with the Energy and Water Ombudsman.
This project was a joint consumer awareness initiative by all state
and federal consumer protection agencies in Australia.
The videos were developed in consultation with community groups
and tested with English language teachers and students, settlement
services and relevant communities and community leaders.
The ‘My consumer rights’ videos can be viewed at
www.youtube.com/user/consumervic/custom.
Off-peak, 10pm–7am every day:
The price of electricity is lowest when the demand for
electricity is the lowest.
Shoulder, 7am–3pm and 9pm–10pm weekdays,
7am–10pm weekends:
The price of electricity is lower than the peak rate and
higher than the off-peak rate, when there is a reduced
demand for electricity.
Peak, 3pm–9pm weekdays only:
The price of electricity is higher during the ‘peak’, typically
on weekday afternoons and evenings, when the demand
for electricity is the highest.
The above example is illustrative only. Electricity retailers may vary the
flexible pricing times on offer.
For information about electricity, gas,
water and rates concessions visit
www.dhs.vic.gov.au/concessions
Authorised and published by the Victorian Government,
50 Lonsdale St. Melbourne. (0871112)