Every household in Queensland will get a $1000 discount on their electricity bills under an expanded energy rebate scheme announced by the state government.
Premier Steven Miles and Treasurer Cameron Dick say the program will save Queensland residents more than $2.5 billion and is the largest cost-of-living relief initiative ever offered by a state government.
This is what you need to know about the scheme, including who's eligible, when it comes into effect, and how you'll receive the rebate.
How much is the new Queensland energy bill rebate and when does it start?
Households will get $1000 off their electricity bills. Assuming the policy passes parliament, it will come into effect on July 1 – just a few months before the state election in October.
The relief is an expansion of the $550 energy bill rebate that was announced for 2023-24.
Small businesses will continue to receive a power bill rebate of $325.
Who is eligible for the relief?
The Queensland government says every household in the state will receive the rebates.
There's no need to apply for the relief.
"To be eligible, residential customers must have an electricity account with their electricity retailer or embedded network provider on 1 July 2024 and be separately metered and charged for their own electricity consumption," the government said.
Some people will get access to further relief.
"Eligible seniors, pensioners and concession card holders will receive $1372 off their power bills," the government said.
How will I receive the rebate?
The rebates will automatically be applied to electricity bills – so rather than receiving a cash handout for the bills, households just won't have to pay as much when they receive them.
In fact, with the average quarterly electricity bill in Queensland sitting at $315, according to Canstar, the rebate will likely cover multiple bills, meaning households may not incur any out-of-pocket electricity costs until 2025.
"Every single Queensland household will get $1000 off their energy bills in the second half of this year," Dick said.
"That's the biggest ever rebate offered by any government in Australia's history and is expected to save Queenslanders more than $2.5 billion."
