East Gippsland householders have been made to engage in a scrum like contest to obtain approval for a rebate under the Andrews Labor Government’s Solar Panel Rebate Scheme.
At 9am on August 1, the Solar Victoria website was opened to rebate applications and in just 90 minutes all 3,333 rebates had been snapped up.
Gippsland East National MP Tim Bull has received a string of complaints from householders and solar installers about the scheme.
“What is now apparent is that to have any chance of being approved for a rebate you need to take the morning off work, make sure you have a good computer with a fast internet connection, be IT savvy and able to work at a fast pace,” said Mr Bull.
“You also need to be able to navigate multiple processes like uploading identification and supporting documents.
“It is a disgrace that householders in East Gippsland are being disadvantaged if they are not familiar with these processes.
“This scheme has degenerated into an ugly contest that will play out all over again at 9:00am on 1 September 2019 when the next release of rebates will be available and the winners will likely be those with superior computer skills.”
“My office has been contacted by a number of people who have expressed dismay and anger with the process.
“I am told it is not an easy website to navigate, it’s not user friendly and requires the use of a facial recognition app – so too bad if you don’t have a smart phone.
“My office has also been contacted by several local solar installers whose businesses have been thrown into disarray by the Government’s flawed roll out of its rebates, said Mr Bull.
“The sooner this discriminatory application process is replaced, the better.”
