Queensland Electricity Rebate for Veterans
Some Veterans with Alinta may be missing out on this
Following recent electricity price rise publicity, a Veteran was checking his Alinta bills over Christmas and found that the Qld Government Electricity rebate he had been receiving for years had ceased in June 2022. The Veteran had a Pension Concession Card (PCC) issued by DVA as he had a DVA Service (“age”) Pension.
When the Veteran complained to Alinta, he was initially told he was not eligible as rebates were only allowed to age pensioners paid by Centrelink. During various exchanges Alinta said it relied on validation by Centrelink Confirmation eServices (CCES) and the PCC “must meet the criteria set by them”. Alinta had stopped recognising DVA “age” pensioners.
The Veteran was told that the rebate cessation coincided with an upgrade to the Alinta computer system earlier in 2022. Following the Veteran’s complaint and his advising his local state MP of the situation, Alinta this week reapplied the rebate, backdated to June 2022.
But other Queensland (and possibly interstate) Veterans may also be affected.
While DFWA has contacted various authorities to address this in Qld and nationally, bureaucratic action from the ‘centre’ is often a tad slow.
Check it out
If you are a Veteran and receive your electricity or gas from Alinta and were issued with a PCC by DVA, we suggest you check you are receiving the rebate you are eligible for. Look for any changes to the rebates from before June 2022 to your latest bill. If it effects you, suggest you complain to Alinta and seek reinstatement of the rebate … and the back payments.
Note that households should also be receiving Qld Government Cost of Living Rebate of $175pa since September 2022 – About $40 every 3 months’ bill. This is separate from the rebate for holders of the Pension Concession Card.
Alinta Contact Details are on your Bill.
DFWAQ Enquiries. Telephone: 07 2102 9879 Email: qldbranch@dfwa.org.au