Labor to look at energy bill rebate budget-by-budget
The future is murky for one of Labor’s flagship cost-of-living measures after comments from two key ministers.
Economy
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Any extension to Labor’s energy bill rebate will be considered budget-by-budget, two key ministers have said.
The Albanese government extended its signature cost-of-living relief measure for another six months in March, running the popular policy out until the end of 2025 at a cost of $3.5 billion.
But whether it would be continued after that has been unclear.
Katy Gallagher on Tuesday could not guarantee a continuation but said the government would “always look at how we can help people”.
“We’ll look at them each budget,” the Finance Minister told Nine.
“We’ve needed to provide cost of living relief. But in that sense, it’s not an ongoing payment, which is why we’ve extended it for six months.
“But we always look at how we can help people with cost of living pressures in every budget.”
Meanwhile, Amanda Rishworth — who was social services minister before being handed the workplace relations portfolio in last week’s cabinet reshuffle — reaffirmed the Albanese government’s “election commitment was to have energy rebates going up until December”.
“Of course, we will look at every budget and look at what support we can provide,” Ms Rishworth told the network.
“It’s part of a range of cost of living support put in place, things like rent assistance, things like energy bill relief, cheaper medicines.
“Every budget round, we go and have a look at what extra support we can give. And energy rebates are no different.”
Labor halved the rebate in its March extensions, cutting it from $300 to $150 for households and small businesses.
More to come.
Originally published as Labor to look at energy bill rebate budget-by-budget
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