Community voices speak up on severe weather and cost of living

Zubaida Alrubai, a teacher from Western Sydney who migrated to Australia from Iraq in 1999, has keenly felt the impact of severe weather, both on her everyday life as well as on her work as a teacher.

“The mental health of students and staff has wavered and people are feeling weary and tired of the constant changes,” Zubaida said.

“Working from home means that electricity is constantly on and demands are intense... I’ve had a member of the community tell me that her quarterly bill was over $1000 for a household of 2 people.”

Zubaida is working with the Sydney Alliance, a coalition of community organisations, to lobby government at State and Federal levels to action urgent changes.

With simultaneous crises afflicting the people of New South Wales and neighbourhoods across Western Sydney, the Sydney Alliance is calling on Government to respond with home energy solutions that mitigate soaring cost-of-living expenses.

Petrol price surges as well as infrastructure damage resulting from recent flooding are burdening the people of Sydney with added financial pressures.

Thuy Nguyen, the Sydney Alliance’s Voices for Power coordinator, described how the Healthy and Affordable Homes scheme provides everyday people with improved financial wellbeing. The scheme also supports Australia’s delivery of its 2030 emissions targets and meets global best-practice, in keeping with our obligations under the Paris Agreement.

“Poor policy responses to climate change have exacerbated the severity of seasonal floods on the NSW East Coast. Additionally, over dependence on fossil fuels have caused an incredible spike in petrol prices,” Thuy said.

“Sustainable energy solutions such as our Healthy and Affordable homes scheme will have an almost immediate effect on the hip pocket of everyday people.”

The scheme calls on the NSW Government to delivery energy audits, investment in energy efficiency upgrades and to install solar on low-income rented and owner-occupied homes.

The program would also see local councils and community service organisations act as key partners to coordinate the delivery of energy efficiency audits and appliance swap programs. The benefits would be delivered on a means-tested basis across New South Wales but especially to the people of Western Sydney.

Thuy Nguyen spoke of the immediate as well as long-term solutions which these programs deliver.

“These ‘shovel-ready’ solutions are not only our best chance to reduce pollution and protect our climate, they’re also a great way to save on our power bills and create local jobs as we rebuild following coronavirus pandemic lockdowns.” 

About the Sydney Alliance’s Voices for Power campaign

Voices for Power brings diverse cultural, religious and community leaders together to build collective power and organise for clean and affordable energy solutions for our communities. The roadmap to clean and affordable energy can be read here.

Through supporting shovel-ready, clean, affordable energy programs, the NSW government can back communities in Western Sydney. This is our best chance to reduce pollution and protect our climate, while also saving on our power bills and creating local jobs following the coronavirus pandemic. 

Contact Daniel Nour, Sydney Alliance Communications team, dnour@sydneyalliance.org.au