Carbon tax refund shock for South Australia

FIRST ON 7: South Australians are in for a shock when power bill savings from axing the carbon tax kick in with a 7News investigation revealing they will be reimbursed less than customers interstate, angering local welfare agencies.

Tony Abbott lured voters on the campaign trail with the promise of about $550 cash back once the tax was axed.

It turns out in South Australia, residents will be lucky to get half that.

“South Australians have been conned by Tony Abbott, they were expecting hundreds of dollars back… we now know that’s not true,” SA Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis said.

Ross Womersley from the South Australian Council of Social Service said: “I think many people will be slightly deflated, if not a lot deflated about the fact the decrease isn’t the massive amount they were hoping for.”

The average Australian household will save $200 on electricity and $70 on gas a year, but South Australia is far from average.

Of the biggest energy retailers, the maximum rebate available in SA is $136 on electricity and $40 on gas.

The federal government says with SA more reliant on renewable energy, prices here were not going to go up as much as other states, so the refunds are smaller.

SACOSS said the only way to stay ahead on energy prices is to shop around.

“Be an active consumer and take the companies to task about whether they are giving the best deal possible,” Mr Womersley said.