National Energy Retail Law (South Australia) Bill
08/02/2011
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (16:48): I suppose it goes without saying that gas and electricity are necessities in today’s society; definitely essential services. We rely on electricity not only to provide creature comforts, such as televisions and X-boxes, in our homes but also to provide heating, air conditioning and refrigeration. I suppose it is fair to say that for most of us air conditioning is a bit of both, a necessity and a luxury, however, for people who experience medically-based heat intolerance (which I will touch on a bit later in this speech) the line between that luxury and that necessity is much more blurred.
Just last week I attended the launch of MS Australia’s ‘Keeping Cool SA’ campaign, which highlights the importance of air conditioners for people with heat intolerance issues. For those in this place who are unaware of it, I should let them know that the vast majority of people with MS—and, indeed, people with other conditions such as Parkinson’s disease—experience medically-based heat intolerance, meaning that the symptoms of their disability or medical condition are greatly exacerbated by hot weather.
Due to this, during the hotter months of the year the average household in which a person with MS, in particular, lives must leave their air conditioning on roughly seven times longer than the average household without a person with MS. This results in expensive electricity bills, which can be difficult to manage, particularly for those whose source of income is the Disability Support Pension (DSP) alone, and the concessions that are available to pensioners prove insignificant in the face of large power bills. To that end I suppose it is self-evident that I will support the amendments proposed by the Hon. Mr Parnell.
It is important to note also that research undertaken by MS Australia indicates that even people with MS who are on very low incomes do leave their air conditioners on just as much as those with higher incomes, so that goes to show that this is not a choice but an essential service for these people. Of course, it is also important to note that there are people whose disabilities and medical conditions make them intolerant to the cold weather. However, these things are achieved one step at a time, so to speak. I am not saying that these people’s issues are any less important but, given the current and recent hot weather we are experiencing, medical cooling is—pardon the pun—a hot topic.
The aim of the Keeping Cool SA campaign is obviously to achieve energy concessions for people who experience medically-based heat intolerance. It is certainly a shame that South Australia stands with Tasmania as the only states in Australia who do not yet offer energy concessions to people with heat-intolerant issues, which is unbelievable considering that MS Australia has estimated that it would only cost the government approximately $100,000 in the next financial year to offer such concessions.
I sent a letter the other day to the government asking it to consider the provision of such concessions. Of course, I have not yet received a response, but I am nonetheless hopeful that this government will see the light and offer concessions to people who suffer from heat intolerance. It is essential and it is inexpensive, so it is a win-win situation for both the government and the people of South Australia. This is above all an opportunity—an opportunity that regularly presents itself but is rarely taken up—for the government to demonstrate some good sense.
