Australians are cutting back on basic things like fresh fruit and vegies in order to keep the lights on with the National Debt Helpline taking 14,000 calls in September a record for the month, and up 14 per cent on the same time last year.
The helpline said borrowers were mainly calling from metropolitan Sydney and Melbourne and regional Queensland, where power bills are rising faster than what many can cope with.
One of those callers was Patricia Young, 34, from Merrylands in Sydney’s West.
She earns $19 an hour as a barista for the Salvation Army, but it’s not enough to keep pace with her rising power bills.
“When those bills have to come out, obviously we…
Read the full article at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-24/power-bill-debt-distress/9079492
