SwitchedOn Australia

SwitchedOn podcast: The hidden crisis behind rising electricity disconnections

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Electricity disconnections are meant to be a last resort in Australia. There are rules designed to protect people who can’t pay electricity bills – retailers are supposed to offer payment plans, hardship support, and only disconnect when there’s no other option.  

But as households buckle under the combined pressure of rising energy bills and the broader cost-of-living crisis, disconnections are rising. 

Nicola Willand, Associate Professor at RMIT University, argues disconnections could just be the tip of the iceberg – an indicator of increasing energy debt and financial stress – which may increase as we electrify everything.

Anne Delaney is the host of the SwitchedOn podcast and our Electrification Editor. She has had a successful career in journalism (the ABC and SBS), as a documentary film maker, and as an artist and sculptor.

Anne Delaney

Anne Delaney is the host of the SwitchedOn podcast and our Electrification Editor. She has had a successful career in journalism (the ABC and SBS), as a documentary film maker, and as an artist and sculptor.

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