Hunter Residents To Receive Support on Energy And Water Bills

BY ISABEL EVERETT

The first virtual Bring Your Bills day and community expo is being held next Wednesday the 20th of May, to provide Hunter residents with support on their energy and water bills during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW (EWON) is partnering with Hunter Water and Kurri Kurri Community Services to deliver the program, connecting people by phone and/or video with agencies and community support services.

Hunter Water’s Account Assistance team will be available for confidential phone and video appointments to discuss individual accounts and provide advice about payment options.

“We recognise this is a very challenging time for some of our customers and we want to do what we can to support them and alleviate any bill stress they may be experiencing,” said Executive Manager Customer Strategy and Retail, Victor Prasad.

“Hunter Water recently launched ‘We’re all in this together’ campaign to raise awareness of the range of assistance measures we have available. This includes extensions on accounts to give customers more time to pay their bills and interest free payment relief, as well as support for tenants to offset their water usage costs.”

Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW, Janine Young said the virtual Bring Your Bills day is timely because customers will be starting to receive their first energy bills since the COVID19 lock down started.

“Vulnerable customers were struggling to pay their energy bills well before the pandemic.
Now more people may experience affordability issues as household incomes fall and energy use increases, with families working and schooling from home as winter sets in,” Ms Young explained.

In addition to providing support with energy and water bills, there will be agencies available to provide assistance with legal matters, phone and internet bills, and council rates, as well as counselling services.

The event will be held on Wednesday 27 May between 9am and 3pm. Appointments can be made by calling Kurri Kurri Community Services on 02 4937 4555.

Image Credit: Hunter Water

The deadline's up: PFAS report from federal government due today

BY: ALEX MURRAY

The deadline for the Turnbull government's report in the wake of the Williamtown contamination crisis has arrived.

Residents affected by toxic pollution are rife with health, financial and living problems and are calling for compensation and effective solutions from their representatives.

With a delayed response from authorities and a freeze on bank lending in the area, the community are in devastation particularly for businesses and an uncertain future for families.

The federal government will be under scrutiny for their actions in the wake of the red-zone crisis and the 18 year gap since officials were warned of the dangerous chemicals.

Much of the government's spending has fallen onto the base but subsequently had limited plans for the affected residents.

The critical report being released today will detail a solution to these severe long-term problems for human safety and the money owed to the community.

Member for Paterson, Meryl Swanson says:

"This has been an issue for decades, we know what the problem is and now we want a solution."

"People are very concerned about their health implications and particularly their immediate mental health when they worry about their environment and of course the investigations into all sorts of clusters of cancer occurring around the base."

"Essentially we need to know what's in that plan and what consideration has been given for the people of Williamtown and what we intend to do for them."

"People have been rendered financially hopeless because they're not able to sell their properties because the banks won't lend to potential buyers, they've essentially been landlocked."

"Our local people feel well and truly deserted by our own government."

Meryl Swanson MP - Credit: Newcastle Herald