Aurora Energy’s chairwoman Mary O’Kane holds fears for company’s financial position in 2021

Matt Maloney | Examiner Newspaper | December 14, 2020  

Aurora Energy will face further financial headwinds next year, its chairwoman says.

Mary O’Kane told a government business scrutiny committee on Monday the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic was yet to be realised by the company.

“That said, we had a better than budget first half of the year,” she said.

“We are working on the assumption that the COVID impacts are yet to hit us fully and are yet to be fully seen.”

Aurora established a $5 million COVID Customer Support Fund near the beginning of the pandemic.

Customers are still able to apply to the fund for a waiver of fees and charges and other support measures if they satisfy financial hardship criteria.

Nelson independent MLC Meg Webb questioned why only one-fifth of the $5 million had been spent.

She said other jurisdictions had offered concession card holders direct financial support this year.

Ms Webb said Western Australia had provided $305 plus a $600 credit to concession card holders and South Australia had provided a once-off payment of $500.

She said Queensland offered a $200 rebate.

Ms Webb said each Tasmanian concession card holder could have be provided with at least $60 for their bill if the $5 million was equally distributed.

She questioned what would happen to the leftover $4 million in the COVID Customer Support Fund.

Professor O’Kane said the money was still in the fund to be drawn upon.

“The principle Aurora tends to follow is that we try to be quite targeted on those who are most vulnerable,” she said.

“Maybe we were too conservative is what it looks like in retrospect.”

Energy Minister Guy Barnett said consumers had saved more than $17 million on their energy bills through the government’s quarterly electricity bill waiver.

He said a regulated power price reduction of 1.38 per cent from July 1 ensured Tasmanians had some of the lowest regulated prices in the country.

Government business enterprise hearings will conclude on Tuesday, marking the end of parliamentary business for the year.

Matt Maloney The Examiner Newspaper