HIT LIST: WA Government targets WA Seniors Card holders

WEST Australian households are set to be slugged more for their bills, with Treasurer Ben Wyatt announcing the full suite of increased fees and charges today.

The increases which will see a rise for a regular household of 7.7 per cent across the board, with an electricity increases of $169, 10.9 per cent on last year as a result of a doubling a fixed charge.

Water and sewerage charges will increase by 6%, and there is a 1.8% rise in public transport, while students travelling on buses and trains will pay 70c.

Over all the average household will pay almost $438 extra a year.

Mr Wyatt said West Australians had to pay more because of the state of the finances.

SUMMARY

An increase of $169 to the fixed charge component of electricity bills, or 10.9 per cent for the ‘representative household’;

A six per cent increase in water, sewerage and drainage charges;

Changes to public transport fares, which include a 1.8 per cent increase in public transport standard fares (rounded to the nearest 10 cents), student fares increasing to 70 cents (from 60 cents), and a five per cent reduction in the discount offered to SmartRider fares (to 20 per cent for Autoload and 10 per cent for other re-load);

Vehicle licence charges will increase by 5.5 per cent, an increase of 2.8 per cent for motor injury insurance, and a 1.7 per cent increase for a driver’s licence; and

A 3.35 per cent increase in the emergency services levy.

Your cookie settings are preventing this third party content from displaying. If you’d like to view this content, please adjust your Cookie Settings . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide.

Mr Wyatt said every West Australians needed to do their share in fixing the budget.

“We have had to make tough decisions to help get the Budget under control and unfortunately the burden of those decisions need to be shared across the community,” he saud

“These changes to household charges have not been taken lightly by this Government, but we have no choice but to fix the mess left behind by the previous Liberal National Government.

“This Government takes the State’s financial challenge very seriously, with the State heading to more than $42 billion in debt by 2020, and an operating deficit of about $3 billion in 2016‑17 - all the legacy of the Liberals and Nationals.

“With our GST share at ridiculously low levels and Treasury forecasting a further $2.6 billion revenue write down since we were elected, fixing the mess we inherited will take time.”

Concerns about the eligibility requirements of the Seniors Card were rejected by MR Wyatt, but he said the rebates and discounts offered under the card, the most generous in the nation, were no longer sustainable.

Those with a Commonwealth concession card will continue to get rebates; 50 per cent for water service charges capped at $600 and local government rates capped at $750, and a 50 per cent rebate on the underground electricity connection charge.

However, as of July 1, for households with only a WA Seniors Card, these rebates will be capped at $100 each a measure set to save an estimated $84 million across the forward estimates period.

All other rebates are unchanged and WA Seniors Card holders can continue to access a range of other benefits and discounts, including the Cost of Living Rebate and free off-peak public transport.

The changes to the household fees and charges and concessions are expected to improve the State’s net debt position by about $238 million over the forward estimates period.

Mr Wyatt also revealed increased support mechanisms for those struggling to meet increased costs, including an increase to the Energy Assistance Payment – currently paid to 200,000 households on Commonwelath concession cards) to $300.

The Government will also add an additional $16.3 million the Hardship Utility Grant Scheme over the next two years and extra funding for the financial counselling program.