I don't want one. I didn't ask for one, but the government has decided I should have one, and they plan to make me pay for it. I do not have one yet but it's only a matter of time and my bills will skyrocket. People who have them have reported problems with them, their bills have gone up and apparently we will also be paying for the old meters even though we won't be using them. How is the government allowed to get away with this? They are voluntary in QLD but compulsory in Victoria, and there is nothing we can do about it!!
Just another **** up by the State government, what can you say? There was something you could have down about it a few years ago, lobby your local MP. Too late now.
I mentioned these things to yall in a different Aussie thread. Total scam. You'll end up paying 60-100 % more. And then they will start grading up those costs over the next few years. They set "peak" time usage etc. Plus, it is a double plus to their pocket book. When these things can get read from satellites...guess what, jobs lost for the minimum wage type meter readers who they used to have to pay to read them. I doubt you will be able to avoid them, sadly. Part of the whole green econo scam to get more of your money.
No, it's the capitalist state where corporations are making huge amounts of money by controlling the government, whilst screwing the citizens of course.
Who do you think wanted the Smart Meters? Energy companies did and that's why we have it, so they can make more money.
Why exactly do you think big business lobbies the government. For fun? They pushed it through, obviously.
So the business is NOT mandating you have these spy meters, the government is. Okay, have you contracted you government officials to protest?
Mak, It sucks, big time, truly does. In my opinion they do not have the right to do this. Or toll roads. In QLD the toll roads are avoidable mostly so the govt started a campaign to push "transponders" onto people to put in their cars. These are supposed to count your car every time you go through the relevant part of a toll road, right? Makes sense so far? If you accept toll roads at all. But the best part of these transponders is that if you don't use toll roads over a relevant period, guess what? They charge you a minimum charge based on what you would have spent on toll roads. Like that one? Needless to say I haven't got a transponder yet and don't plan to. Paying for not using roads we builot and used to own does not appeal to me. Smart meters? Same thing aren't they, designed to confuse the consumer and grab more money. I say we do an Egypt on these bastards.
Mate - you are talking Australia here - we were FOUNDED on socialist principles statements like the one above just cause us to eye roll We have other ways of keeping the government in check than sitting around and whingeing about a "nanny state"
PLEASE give a viable alternative to Captain Bligh PLEASE The Great Brisbane road (*)(*)(*)(*)-up has been going on for some time. Meanwhile here in the north we have hundreds of kilometres that are still dirt and a tendency to be isolated when there is a heavy dew
So do we.... It is called the Second Amendment to be used as a final re4sort as per Thomas Jefferson, Aussies do not have that natural right. Oh well?
I'm actually quite frightened by these things. I don't want one because I can barely pay my bill as it is and the power company refuses to check things on their end - we think they are reading the meter wrong and overcharging me a few hundred dollars each quarter - I don't want my bill to go up any more than it already has.
If they have been reading your meter wrong and over charging you that much then the smart meter will save you money Mak. So I don't know why you are worried. If they're charging you accurately, or under charging you, then you're going to be screwed, plus you have to pay like $100 for the meter or whatever it is.
I don't think we should have to pay for them, to be honest. The government is forcing them on us, and they are forcing us to pay for them!
@Mak: You pay for everything the government does Mak. The Smart Meters are a good idea, but the state government has simply, yet again, cocked things up. We just spent hundreds of millions of dollars fixing up a railway that wasn't broken before they started, but is now. They spent, I think it's almost a billion? on the Myki system, which is a huge steaming pile of garbage. That was all your money too remember. Whether or not you should have to pay for the smart meter now is irrelevant, it's alreadly been legislated and the new government has I believe decided it's going to continue on with it. They were thinking about scrapping it but I guess they didn't. @pegasus: What is wrong with road tolls? Public transport infrastructure is payed for, at least in part, directly by the people who use it. So, why not roads? If there were no road tolls you'd just have higher taxes.
This is a joke, right? We have taxes that are supposed to fund all our roads but govt spends it on other things. You are highly gullible I gather? It was OUR taxes that built these roads, we owned them but State govts have used them as cash cows to either sell off or put a toll on them. OUR roads. How dare they? In Brisbane our now ex Lord Mayor bored a tunnel under the river and promised us it was FULLY FUNDED before he wa elected. A blatant lie. Few people use it due to the cost and the new owners are slowly going broke. Oh dear! It was public property and if he had a brain he would have bored the tunnel to cater for trains, public transport, which would have relieved the congestion in itself. And he's standing for Premier right now, even though he's not an MP and even though there is no election for about a year. If you seriously think the roads would not have been built without tolls you are mistaken . Try driving in Sydney, it's impossible and more expensive than taxis. Public transport is paid for by the taxpayer, via Canberra, now through the GST. Ring any bells yet?
Yes, I know how the GST works. However I am not aware of Federal funds being tied to the building or maintenance of road infrastructure, or public transport. If you are saying that it is perhaps you can provide evidence for this. I was under the impression that Public-Private partnerships existed in the building of some roads. I was also under the impression that road tolls, the sale of tickets for public transport, various fines, etc, associated, were to raise revenue for roads and public transport infrastructure. Perhaps that is wrong and perhaps you can show me evidence as to why it is wrong. We do not have those issues in Victoria, I would not support those measures to be taken here. Though I seem to remember Bligh was selling off public assets because of an enormous state debt, something which we in Victoria don't have, well not as bad anyway. I still don't see a fundamental problem with road tolls, not that I support them but I do think public transport should be free if roads are. Your state government just screwed you over by basically getting you to pay for them twice. That is not necessarily a problem with road tolls, that is just bad governance. Don't get me started on State governments. Duno why you are being so scornful, I have never driven in the Sydney CBD or in Brisbane, don't know why I should be "aware" of the extent of road tolls there, as though I'm an idiot for not knowing about it. I suppose you are aware of the vertical fiscal imbalance in Australia? There is your answer, it's not about road tolls per say, you are talking about a completely different issue.
