West Australian households are set to receive a $600 credit towards their next power bill, in what will be a signature policy of the McGowan Government’s State Budget, to be released on Thursday.
About 1.1 million households will receive the one-off credit from November 1 — just in time for the next power bill, the West Australian reported.
Anybody has confirmation on date?
I am very happy for the residents of WA, however, I personally think that distributing money like that is not a good idea.
Yes, it is a very effective short-term move to gain popularity, people love that. But would not it better to invest $650m into something else, something the will have a far greater return in the long term? Especially considering that WA’s budget depends a lot on exports.
Mark is already on a 93% approval rating.
He does not need to boost his ratings.
He is just returning the money from the Bell direct settlement since the state finances are good currently but some in WA are doing it tough especially small businesses in the tourism and services sector.
Well, it does not matter where the money is coming from. The state government can use that money for anything they want. Right now WA is doing financially well but things can change in the future.
We already have a 1.7billion surplus? And the settlement is on top of that.
Some sectors are doing it tough so some consumer confidence boost is required to get spending up again.
Only if our leaders are in it for the long game…
no it's a smart business decision, everyone is $600 better off to spend in the state to prop up all the small and big businesses. Economics 101!
this is cool. But nothing to do with a deal.
How is this related to a 'deal'? You basically have to upheave your life and move to Western Australia to take advantage, and even then it's applied automatically.
Can we change the definition of a 'deal' to "a special offer that requires someone to take reasonable action in order to take advantage of the offer" (moving to Western Australia is NOT reasonable), rather than having these 'OzInformation' posts which are basically advertising government initiatives for existing residents?
A quick look into your history shows you posted a deal available in NSW only on the 23rd of September. Travelling to NSW to access cheap dighwashing liquid is no less unreasonable than moving to WA for a $600 electricity credit. I guess it's one set of rules for you and another for people posting WA only deals?
I'm not saying geographically limited deals should be removed.
I'm saying deals which do not rely on you taking action in order to get them should be removed.
If this $600 power credit required someone to submit an application to the government or they'd miss out, then this would be a fine post. But this is automatically applied to power bills to everyone in WA.
I'm saying (facetiously) that the only people who would miss out on this deal if they don't 'take action' are people who live interstate, and in order to take advantage of this deal, they'd have to move to Western Australia, which would clearly be an unreasonable to everyone.
How is this related to a 'deal'?
Someone might benefit by getting the power reconnected to their unoccupied property (which they disconnected to avoid the daily connection fee).
Clutching at straws…
I reconnected the power in my home a couple of months ago after being away.
If this deal had become available whilst I was away I would have reconnected earlier to take advantage of it.
This could only be considered a deal if you had to apply for it like the Victorian Government's energy comparison rebate.
I hope those who inevitably neg this comment into oblivion are ready to upvote hundreds of tax and infrastructure spending "deals" that arise from the Federal Budget next week.
This could only be considered a deal if you had to apply for it
All WA account holders had to apply for a Synergy/Horizon account, either now or before. Happy now ? your condition is fufilled.
Not really, synergy is the only provider for household energy in WA. Saying you had to apply for a synergy account is a bit silly, as needing electricity is (basically) unavoidable.
I benefit from the rebate, but I agree with him, it's not actually a deal.
Saying you had to apply for a synergy account is a bit silly
Don't apply and see who is silly then. Anyway, he didn't say no silly deal is allowed.
How long til state election?
March 2021, however, this obviously has nothing to do with that. Nothing at all.
6 months away. Mark didn't need to do this for that, he's already got a high approval rating without it.
Imagine Mark didn't have the Crown owning 92% of the land in WA and the Federal Government wasn't managing them the mess Australia would be in now !
What a sad state of affairs when people thank a bonobo politician for giving them back their own money.
He's not giving them their money back. He's giving people money which was borrowed and makes them pay interest on it in the future.
Either way, not a deal and shouldn't have been posted.
The money hasn’t been borrowed.
https://www.watoday.com.au/politics/western-australia/mcgowa…
"The $600 credit is fully funded through the recent Bell Group settlement, for the losses incurred in the Bell Group collapse in the early 1990s," Mr McGowan said.
"It made sense that these funds go straight back to Western Australians."
In September, the liquidator for the Bell Group and its finance arm distributed funds to its five major creditors, including $670 million to the WA government. The payment marked the close of the 30-year battle to recover taxpayer funds squandered during the WA Inc era of state politics.
'WA Inc era of state politics' reason for announcement.
it has never ended.
Not really a deal.
I'll take it, but nothing is free
possitive!!! even this is a good news rather than a good deal.
IlyMark <3 Good idea to help stimulate the economy, will benefit everyone equally!
Great news ,you wouldn't see the liberals doing this, they'd only share it too their big business donors
Aren't the Libs trying to hand out free cash via tax cuts? Free money is free money. Looking forward to the post about the great deal "tax cuts".
I feel sorry for any state that has a Labor premier. Hopefully you guys out west can get the Liberals back in next election.
Mark has been doing a fantastic job and as a result Labor is on track to win the next election in a landslide.
Crisis makes easy times for politicians unless they really screw up, even then some get let off. Act like you sympathise, say you care and it's fun time as you get to hand over huge wads of cash. You get a car, and you get a tax cut, and you get bridge, and you get a train etc
Yeah nahh we don't want the Liberal state branch with no clue ditz Liza Harvey here. We Western Australians are happy with McGowan. The border should stay shut untill there is no covid transmission in all states.
Staying shut internationally forever then?
It was the liberals who squandered the mining boom. They got voted out since they didn't really fight for our share of the Gst.
Not defending the WA Libs but isn't giving a discount on power to every person in WA from a surplus the same as "squandering a boom"?
Does it make anyone else angry that this guy leaves the border shut to SA and NT, both who have had no cases for months, and then brags about WA residents having high disposable income that he would prefer they spent in WA rather than SA and NT.
Closing the border for economic reasons is in clear breach of the constitution and he sits there with a smug look on his face. I thought we were meant to be fighting this virus as a country but it’s pretty clear that some state premier would prefer to go it alone pretending it’s for health reasons when really it’s for re-election.
Also, this isn’t a deal.
Funny that NZs trans Tasman bubble is closed to Australians based on the same guidelines as WA. 1 month of no community transmission. Also how could he open to SA and NT when they don't have the same guidelines, a traveller could piggyback through their state.
Anyway WA seems to be doing just fine with the current set of rules in place. I can imagine the virus getting in via the airport and the shitstorm that would create for FIFO.
Well that’s not a long term solution is it. You can’t keep borders shut forever. Australia had 3500 deaths from the flu last year despite having high vaccine rates. So if your answer if you’ll wait for a vaccine then open up I think you need to go back to the drawing board.
Also stop pedalling this WA is doing just fine with the border shut. You’ve lost $200m in the tourism industry and have an unemployment rate of 7%. Don’t think the premier would be giving $600 cash handouts if everything was rosey.
You also probably don’t care about the families torn apart by the border closures. I certainly haven’t seen my wife since March. And with a high FIFO based economy I’m sure there are plenty more people in that situation. Thankfully I don’t have kids but I can imagine plenty of kids who haven’t see there fathers in a while.
How soft can you be if you’re scared to open to SA and NT both of which have no cases. You scared you might catch a dry cough are you mate. Or are you worried about aged care deaths. Didn’t hear anyone screaming out for lockdowns last year when more than 10 old people died everyday due to the flu.
Do remind me what the mortality rate of the common cold is vs covid-19.
What is your genius solution to this?
Reopen the border for selfish individuals like yourself and risk a second wave?
@B-Rad: My genius solution is a COVID safe plan already in place and working in nsw.
Selfish would be shutting off the rest of the country for economic gain with no long term plan in mind.
@BarryBargain88: remember , remember the ruby princess farce in nsw?
No? those avoidable deaths were just the result of a genius inactivity nsw plan that killed a lot of people.
No, we don't give a shit about you seeing your wife. You're free to leave the state and see each other if you so please.
WA tourism is doing just fine, most things are fully booked until next year :)
@ohtaek: I’m not sure if you guys are trolling or you actually think WA is doing great
https://www.miragenews.com/tourism-recovery-program-delivers…
https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-borders-wester…
Not sure where you're getting the 3500 deaths figure from. It was less than 1,000 deaths last year from flu.
really it’s for re-election
No or no deal aside, can you explain why closing border is good for re-election ?
Because people buy into the sensationalism around this virus and for some reason, shutting borders seems to work very well in the polls. WA premier sits at an approval rate of 90% despite not really doing much other than shutting the border and forgetting the problem actually exists. He has no long term plan for reopening which was evident from his interview on abc the other night when he was asked the question and gave no answer.
despite not really doing much other than shutting the border
In my industry we just got $60M of stimulus package, I have heap of annual leave and can't take them yet, it was so busy.
and forgetting the problem actually exists
Any proof of this ? I thought he shuts the border because problem exists.
He has no long term plan for reopening
He has plan, Eastern States people just don't like his plan - something along the line of no community transmission for 14 days (?), not sure but it's a plan.
@z28: No community transmission across the entire country for 28 days. So I’m guessing to open the international border he wants no community transmission across the entire world for 28 days.
As I said, absolutely no long term plan and heads well and truely buried in the sand.
@BarryBargain88: perth is the most isolated capital in the world.
exploiting its geographic isolation is not genius - its just common sense.
he's getting approval for not messing things up which will soon change because off the dumb agreements he recently made.
the policy was and remains economically sensible. sadly he's wavered - and covid will now be coming in. Something many clearly will be very happy about.
Parochialism sells. WA vs the evil eastern states has been a staple of WA politics since it was created. WA isn't alone, Weatherall was a master at it. Joh, was a genius at it. Andrews likes to do his performance pieces.
Be happy about it Barry, Australia's #1 export earner is Iron Ore. Marko is keeping the minesites safe and humming along at full capacity. This has helped to pay for this nations jobseeker. Australia is getting great prices for Iron Ore because the other major supplier Brazil has been a lot more lax and Covid is running rampant there. Then there the Gold mines (#6 export), Natural Gas (#4) and Aluminium (#7). All running well without lockdowns or Covid outbreaks.
You're welcome.
Unfortunately the WA economy contracting 6% doesn’t tie up with whatever rubbish you’ve been fed.
But don’t let facts get in the way of your fairytale.
Interestingly, the other nation to impose a hard lockdown, NZ, contracted 13%. Nearly double that of Australia.
I thought you guys were smarter than that
Pfft 6% this year compared to Australia was 7%. Most countries would kill to only be down 6%. Talk about cherry picking stats. How about the UK what are they down? We've had growth of 1.1% this year and 9.3% increase in business investment.
Marko approval rating is at almost unheard of levels, possibly as a lot of people have look east and seen how easy it is to screw up.
@scratchy: One state has screwed up and that’s due to incompetent government. Hardly a reason to shut off the rest of the world. And your stats prove that you’re not carrying the country. The eastern states are doing just as well with fully open borders and will recover quicker from here as they have mastered contact tracing and are working with a long term vision.
WA is just burying its head in the sand pretending there is no virus to worry about. All good though, plenty of 95 year old will thank you I’m sure. Just don’t know why you weren’t worried last year about the 3500 that died of the flu. Where were you then?
""leaves the border shut to SA and NT, both who have had no cases for months
Any australian citizen currently in australia can enter WA ….all they need to do apply for an exemption and get approval.
But there was one bloke who bullshitted on the form and he was rejected….
You must quarantine for 14 days. So that rules out anyone who needs to travel across borders for work. Like me and plenty of other fifo workers
At least in WA they mine in the outback right? In NSW, we’re gonna start fracking under the dams.
well yes - we can all die laughing at genius nsw ruby princess's displayed contempt for basically 90% of the nsw population.
since nsw doesn't need a water table now, its sheeple can rest easy knowing there's a contingency.
Good for my hydro setup
The borders are going to open soon in a safe and professional manner domestically. Everyone just needs to be patient. How can anyone argue against being cautious after seeing what is happening globally. We are no different to any other country.
I know and it will be safe in March because of someone's selfish pollical agenda .
I think it's unrealistic that the domestic borders will be left shut until March…
why?
Thank you MM for not making it assets or income tested.
Is this ozbargain or ozpolitics?
It's a $600 question.
We will not be pressured into opening the borders, they are closed on medical advice.
We will not open the borders because it's of no economical benefit to WA. All the rich Sandgropers will flee the state and spend their money in another state.
Ooops! errrrr
Hey look over here, here's $600 smack-a-roos.
Haha exactly right.
Not a deal, not as if you can go and buy one… either you live in WA and you automatically get the $600, or you don't.
You can move to WA
$600 worth of free electricity for people in WA isn't a deal, but a free big mac for Victorians posted 20 hours ago is? I don't know why people are so offended by this deal, if it doesn't relate to you then don't open it just like I had to carry on past the free big mac deal.
I couldn't care less if this was done in Vic or NSW or bloody tasmania. I've never really cared if a deal was a deal based on location. The deal is not one because it's a government social welfare cheque - it's great that they're doing it, just like how it'd be great if my council reduced our council rates - but it does not make it a deal.
That’s right. I didn’t see Scomo’s two $750 payments posted on here as ‘Deals’.
I heard on the news Pensioner's were going to get $500 in 2 instalments .
Quick can someone get it up tks .
So continue on with your life? I just can't understand why people are so bothered that they feel the need to keep ranting.
Right back at ya mate.
Proud of WA and McGowan government, this credit will help out a lot of families here.
WA gets the 600 dollar credit
VIC gets the Free Big Mac via McDonald's Facebook
I'd say both states should be happy
Hi Guys,
Is anyone aware of any solar deals on right now in WA?
So is there a way to withdraw funds if your account is in credit? Haha.
It's not a product, it can't be bought or sold, no deal!
What India started feeling decades back, Mr Mark is doing now. It is indirect way to pay cash for votes. We will see more of these closer to election time.
Only a complete idiot can make such a decision, or a corrupt government. All it does is fill the pockets of energy companies and their financiers. How about building a solar power plant and a battery storage farm to decrease energy costs for decades? That would deliver more than $600 in savings per family very quickly. Bloody idiots, just can't be sure if it's the politicians or us.
Why can't we do both :https://techau.com.au/wa-getting-australias-second-biggest-battery-at-100mwh-another-job-for-tesla/
I'm in a sharehouse and pay rent with bills included. Worth asking for a rent reduction? 🤔
Lol fat chance
This is OzBargain! Is there still time for interstaters to get a WA electricity account? (It's dead easy to move someone's electricity account to your name without their consent).
![[WA] $600 Credit to Every WA Household for Power Costs - WA Government](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/80/570380.jpg?h=e86e31a8)
I already get 100 back per bill with solar, chuck it on the pile I guess.