Origin and AGL data reveals more Australians struggling to pay soaring power bills

New data reveals a worrying increase in the number of Aussie households forced to take emergency action as they struggle to pay soaring power bills.

Two of Australia’s largest power companies have revealed the combined number of customers in their hardship programs has soared by 35,000 or nearly 40 per cent in a year.

The federal Coalition seized on the data to argue that power had never been so unaffordable and to demand Labor “reverse course” on the rollout of renewables.

The government hit back, declaring the Opposition’s nuclear option would add $1000 to bills.

Both sides were responding to new data from Origin and AGL.

More Aussies are joining power companies’ hardship programs as they struggle to pay bills

Origin’s disclosed there are now 97,000 households nationally in the company’s hardship programs, up from 71,000 a year ago.

That’s a rise of 37 per cent.

Meanwhile AGL reported a jump of more than 8500 in its hardship scheme to nearly 27,500 — an increase of 45 per cent.

Combined, the two retailers have close to 125,000 customers in hardship, up from under 90,000 this time last year.

Origin attributed the surge to growing cost of living pressure.

The company said it expected to spend about $50 million on bill relief this financial year — a similar amount to 2023-24.

In 2021-22, Origin outlaid just $10m on bill relief.

AGL said it spent $36m on customer bill relief in 2023-24 and that it was increasing assistance by $20m.

It also reported that the average debt of customers in hardship blew out to $2578, up from $2025 last year.

Complaints against AGL to energy ombudsmen around the nation also soared by 62 per cent, from just over 5000 to more than 8100.

AGL said this was due to price increases earlier this year.

The Coalition’s climate change and energy spokesman Ted O’Brien blamed the Albanese government for the spikes.

“Never before has it been so hard for Australians to afford their power bills, and the numbers reflect this,” Mr O’Brien said.

“How bad does it have to get before Labor swallows its pride and reverses course on energy?”

Federal Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen’s spokeswoman said the price of power was “a serious issue for households and businesses.

“The Albanese Government’s reliable renewable plan means wholesale energy prices are now lower than when the Coalition left office,” she said.

Mr Bowen’s spokeswoman said “the Coalition has no plan to bring electricity prices down now, or into the future, with their risky nuclear reactor idea set to add $1000 to energy bills and only supply less than 4 per cent of the energy households and businesses need.”