Desperate family are forced to sleep on tiled floor to stay cool because they can’t afford to turn on their air-conditioning amid Australia’s cost of living crisis
- Family forced to sleep on cold tiles
- They can’t afford their power bills
- Aussies feeling pinch from cost of living
A desperate family have resorted to sleeping on cold tiles to avoid turning on their expensive air-conditioning amid Australia’s cost of living crisis.
Karen and her son Connor, who is her carer, have been forced to take desperate measures to remain cool amid blistering temperatures in south-west Sydney.
Connor admits it’s more comfortable taking his pillow onto the floor in the dining room than sleep in his own bed during the sweltering evenings.
His mother agrees that the heat makes her feel like she’s suffering heat stroke 24 hours a day, but she simply can’t afford to turn on the air conditioning.
‘The first year we used the air conditioning, the quarterly bill for Summer was about $800,’ the mother-of-two told A Current Affair.
‘This last bill, which was the majority of summer … was $380. This summer we haven’t had [the air conditioning] on once.’
Connor, from southwest Sydney, admits it’s more comfortable taking his pillow and a fan onto the cold tiles in the dining room than sleep in his own bed at night
Karen uses ice cubes and cold flannels stored inside the freezer to cool herself down while Connor is constantly sitting under a portable fan.
He contributes to the bills from his carer’s pension but it still isn’t enough for the mother and son to be able to afford the air-conditioning unit.
This week, temperatures in Sydney skyrocketed to 39C on Monday and 37C on Tuesday and will remain in the low 30s over the weekend.
The average quarterly electricity bill in Australia is about $337.
In the 2020-21 financial year power prices were down seven per cent, and the year before that were down even further, by nine per cent.
In the 2022-23 financial year, power prices have increased by 18 per cent with projections they will be up by 23 per cent in 2023-24.
Households already feeling the pinch were dealt another blow on Tuesday after interest rates were increased for the 10th month straight.
Karen uses ice cubes and cold flannels she stores inside her freezer to cool herself down while her son Connor is constantly sitting under a portable fan and sleeps on cool tiles
The Reserve Bank of Australia increased the cash rate to 3.6 per cent, with rates now rising at the most dramatic pace since 1988 and 1989.
Pradeep Philip, the head of economics at Deloitte Access Economics, said the latest rate rise risked causing a recession and would impact the cost of daily expenses.
‘It places further cost of living pressures on Australians while increasing the chance of an unnecessary recession,’ he said.
In more welcome news, up to 4.7million welfare recipients are set to receive two major boosts to their Centrelink benefits this month.
The increase is part of Centrelink’s twice-yearly indexation – a means of adjusting welfare payments based on the rate of inflation – on March 20 and September 20.
Those on the pension, looking for work or studying will get a 3.7 per cent increase to their benefits in two weeks’ time.
