{"id":96459,"date":"2025-12-09T04:26:47","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T18:56:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=96459"},"modified":"2025-12-29T12:05:39","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T02:35:39","slug":"energy-bill-rebates-mb3330","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/energy-bill-rebates-mb3330\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s Official: Energy Bill Relief Fund Rebates To End"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Energy<\/p>\n

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has announced the Albanese government’s federal subsidy taking some of the sting out of electricity bills will not be further extended.<\/p>\n

What Is The Energy Bill Relief Fund?<\/h2>\n

Originally to run for just a year, Australia’s Energy Bill Relief Fund was set up with $1.5 billion in 2023-24. An extension was announced and implemented from July 1, 2024, continuing into 2025.<\/p>\n

The rebates haven’t been means-tested. All grid-connected households receiving an electricity bill were initially provided $300 in rebates for the 2024\u201325 financial year. Support then dropped to $150 from 1 July 2025 to the end of 2025; automatically applied to electricity bills in two $75 quarterly instalments.<\/p>\n

In addition to providing direct relief to households, the rebate reduced Australia’s headline inflation; which is a total measure of price changes for all goods and services.<\/p>\n

Commenting on the decision to end the relief yesterday, Treasurer Chalmers said<\/a>:<\/p>\n

“We’ve been up-front with people and said that these were never going to be a permanent feature of the budget.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How Much Have The Rebates Cost?<\/h2>\n

The Energy Bill Relief Fund has reportedly been funded with $7 billion from the feds to date, with states tipping in another $1.5 billion.<\/p>\n

Households Still Struggling<\/h2>\n

As we reported late last week, Energy Consumers Australia’s (ECA’s) December 2025 Consumer Energy Report Card<\/a> reveals many households have been continuing to struggle to pay their power bills, even with the government support. 16% reported experiencing difficulties paying an electricity bill in the last 6 months, while 17% struggled with a gas bill.<\/p>\n

In another report based on recently released data from the Australian Energy Regulator<\/a>, Anti-Poverty Centre, Parents For Climate and Sweltering Cities said 336,615 Australian households were in energy debt in 2024. The average value of a household\u2019s energy debt jumped by $219 last year \u2014 to $1,367.<\/p>\n

“While the Federal Government\u2019s rebates provided some relief to hardship customers and those with very small debts at the beginning of the year, these were much less impactful in the second half of the year when debts were higher,” they state<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A Call For Real Action On Energy Bills<\/h2>\n

The groups are leading a campaign called Stop The Bill Shock<\/a>; claiming that despite falling wholesale prices thanks to renewables, Australia\u2019s largest energy retailers posted significant profit increases across FY24 and early FY25. The campaign calls for state and federal governments to:<\/p>\n