SHADOW Minister for the Hunter, Kate Washington, has turned up the heat on the state government over what she described as the botched launch of a statewide air-conditioning rebate scheme.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On Wednesday, Ms Washington said large sections of the state – including all of the Hunter - could not access the scheme which offered discounted energy-efficient air-conditioning for households across NSW.
When prospective customers visit the state government website offering the scheme, they are invited to register and enter their postcode in order to identify “approved installers” in their area.
The Lakes Mail followed the prompts and despite entering postcodes for Morisset and Toronto, among others, we received only a message advising that no approved installers were currently available in those areas.
Ms Washington noted the scheme could be accessed, however, by residents of the Sydney harbourside electorate of Vaucluse.
“Another botched program from Gladys Berejiklian, offering rebates for air-conditioners to the leafy North Shore while the Hunter misses out,” Ms Washington said.
“This is a scheme that’s been touted as offering relief over the summer months. Well, the heat is on and the Hunter’s been left sweltering.
“Why has the Minister advertised the program before installers were even lined up?
It was not a good look for the government in a week when temperatures soared across the region.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter and Central Coast, Scot MacDonald, said the program was less than a month old.
“By the end of the first week of February, 100 installation companies employing around 250 installers will be in operation, covering 90 per cent of the state’s population,” Mr MacDonald said.
“Once an installation company is registered, it can immediately start offering discounted air-conditioning units to consumers.”
Mr MacDonald emphasised that the scheme was not a customer rebate program.
“The installer offers a discounted unit and then claims this discount back from the NSW Government,” he said.
“Customers get up-front discounts ranging from $200 to $1,000 depending on the size of the units being installed.”
By Tuesday this week, approved installers had started to appear on the website for local postcodes.
“Anyone who does not yet have an installer in their area can register on the website energysaver.nsw.gov.au and OEH will let the consumer know as soon as a registered installer is available,” Mr MacDonald said.
