Energy stressed in Australia

Which Australians are hardest hit by high energy prices?

At a glance

Energy stressed in Australia explores which Australians spend more on energy bills. We found that certain groups—those living with low incomes, renters and those on Newstart and similar allowances—spend substantially more of their disposable income on energy than other households.

The analysis included in the report was undertaken by Associate Professor Ben Phillips from the ANU Centre for Social Research & Methods as part of a collaboration between BSL and ACOSS.

Dive deeper

ACOSS and BSL commissioned Associate Professor Ben Phillips, from the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods, to analyse the cost of electricity and gas for a range of household types in Australia. The modelling is based on the Household Expenditure Survey undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and includes trends between 2008 and 2018.

The analysis found low-income households, renters and those on Newstart, among others, spend significantly more of their disposable income on energy than other households. It also found spending on energy (as a share of disposable income) has increased slightly for most households over the decade.