An estimated 17,232 households failed to pay their gas bills in 2010, a 2.5 percent rise compared to the year before says a report made by the Economic Regulation Authority.

More Western Australian households are facing difficulties when it comes to paying their gas bills in the face of mounting costs with gas prices increasing by 30 percent in the recent years and no respite from rising prices expected soon.

“Enough is enough. It is about time the Barnett Government showed real compassion and protected the living standards of Western Australians,” said Shadow energy minister Kate Doust. “The Barnett Government’s Office of Energy late last year recommended household gas bills rise by 6.2 percent on April 1 this year followed by a further 5.5 percent increase in 2012 and another 6.3 percent increase in 2013.”

“The recommendation comes on top of the seven per cent increase in April 2010 and 20 per cent in July 2009,” Doust added. She said authorities should come clean about the future gas price increases.“I fear about what the impact of any future price increases will do to Western Australian families struggling to pay their bills,” she said.

Australian energy company Alinta, said in a statement that it would try to cut the number of disconnections this year and even expects residential disconnections to decrease by a third.