The New South Wales Government is investing two million dollars in community organisations to help people better understand their energy bills and reduce household costs. The funding will support programs working with culturally diverse communities, people with disability, regional communities and social housing tenants.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Understanding Australia’s energy system can be confusing, particularly for people who are new to the country or don’t speak English as a first language.
"Hello and Assalamualaikum everyone!"
That’s energy education trainer, Sarmin, leading a workshop in Sydney.
She came to Australia from Bangladesh in 2022 and says when she first arrived, she struggled to understand how the energy system worked.
"That time i didnt know nothing about energy bills and my landlord used to take from me a lot of money - I was told not to use the heater - I was literally using two or 3 blankets to keep myself warm, so it was a very bad experience for me."
Today, she’s helping others avoid the same experience.
"Like hanging your clothes out to dry on the line, if I keep my air conditioner between 21 and 24 degrees in summer it is more efficient."
The workshops are run by Sydney Community Forum, which trains trusted community leaders to take practical energy advice back into their own communities.
Executive Officer Nirmal Joy says that trust is central to the program.
"Look you know when we're talking about communities that has come from different you know sort of struggles back home that the connections with power is also pretty... and when I say power - I mean power structures, is also pretty complicated, so who do you trust? is a really complicated question. And the best way to tackle that is work with their own community leaders and that's exactly what we do."
Participants learn how to understand their bills, reduce their energy use and access government rebates and support.
For workshop participant Shahjabin, the session revealed help she didn’t know was available.
"It was massive information that I have learned I was unaware that I am able to take $75 discoiunt from the government."
Sydney Community Forum is one of ten organisations sharing in two million dollars in funding from the New South Wales Government.
The grants will support programs working with culturally and linguistically diverse communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, people with disability, community housing tenants and people living in regional areas.
NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe says many households are missing out on savings because they don’t understand their bills or know where to find help.
"We know that people are struggling with their energy bills and this program . Make sure that we can reach out to everyone in the community especially if English isn't your first language to understand your bill and see how you can save money."
She says one of the simplest ways households can reduce their bills is by comparing energy plan.
"What it means is for example we've got a program and a website called energy made easy if people shop around for who their energy retailer is they can save 20 % straight away off the top of their bill but a lot of people don't know about it and they don't know how to use it , which is why this program is really important."
Nirmal Joy says the additional funding will allow Sydney Community Forum to expand its model into more communities across New South Wales.
"This year we are going to going deeper in the community which is trying to reach communities which you have not reached before at the same time trying to create a model, we've been running this model quite successfully for some time and this is a story to tell there - so we're trying to document that and sort of share it with with the broader community - the universals of the program which can be sort of used another other community settings as well so that it's sustainable that way."
For Sarmin, it's about more than helping people save money.
"I think this training, will help my community, my friends and everyone. It's about building confidence, we have the power to create change for our own families and communities together"
