In the face of intensifying heat, a harsh choice is playing out in central Australia: electricity or meals. Since summer began, Vanessa Napaltjari Davis and her grandchildren have fought to stay cool in their two-bedroom home while the lone air-conditioner fought against relentless temperatures. The southern reaches of the Northern Territory have been significantly hotter than normal, and the family’s power is repeatedly cut as the air conditioner strains the system.
“More than 40 days with temperatures above 40 degrees,” Davis recalls. “I’ve struggled to keep the electricity bill manageable and to keep my grandkids comfortable.”
Davis, who identifies as Arrernte and Luritja, lives with her granddaughter and two great-grandchildren in Nyewente, also called Trucking Yards, one of Alice Springs’ 18 town camps. These camps are owned by the state and badly in need of modernization. Yet a few years ago the Northern Territory government installed a prepaid electricity smart meter on her home, and since then keeping the lights on has become a daily challenge.
“I normally top up about $70 a week when the weather is normal, and that would last until the next payday,” she explains. “But with this extreme heat, that $70 vanishes in two or three days.”
The NT just marked its 10th hottest January on record, and temperatures are expected to rise further as the climate crisis fuels more extreme heat. Experts warn that Alice Springs and nearby central desert towns could become uninhabitable for people in the future.
To stay powered, Davis must visit a service station or local grocery to add more credit to her prepaid card. When the card runs dry, the home loses power—no lights, no refrigeration, no cooling.
She is among more than 65,000 Aboriginal people who rely on prepaid electricity in the Northern Territory, South Australia, Western Australia, and Queensland. A 2025 study by Original Power, a First Nations energy justice group, found that, on average, these households endure about 49 disconnections annually—nearly once a week—driven by unaffordable bills.
For Davis, being the sole provider in one of Australia’s most economically disadvantaged communities means choosing between power and food. “Which matters more—the electricity or the food? To us, both are essential,” she says. “We need electricity to keep the fridge cold so the food stays safe. If the power goes out, the food spoils, and people end up waiting until the next payday to replace it. This is the daily reality for many.”
Davis shared a personal breakdown of her electricity costs since last winter. June through August, cold nights pushed her payments to $1,331.12. September through November added $920.64. December and January have already reached $663.97, with more than four outages each month as she struggles to keep topping up.
Jacana Energy, the NT’s electricity retailer, says prices in the territory are regulated and subsidised by the government. They note that demand typically climbs during extreme heat, which can hasten prepaid credit depletion, but the tariff itself does not change. They explain that charges reflect actual usage recorded by meters, and outages occur only when prepaid credit runs dry, with immediate restoration once credit is added.
Jacana Energy also highlights safeguards, including emergency credit, flexible payment terms, and proactive support through its Stay Connected hardship program.
Heat-related hospital admissions rise as temperatures soar. In the NT, high heat and substandard housing intensify health risks for Aboriginal communities, with physicians like Dr. Simon Quilty observing a notable uptick in hospital visits during hot months. He notes that housing quality and the prevalence of box air-conditioners contribute to mounting health problems during heatwaves.
Original Power’s studies urge stronger protections for prepaid customers, including a proposed ban on disconnecting power during extreme heat (temperatures of 40°C or higher). Yet implementation remains sluggish, according to Lauren Mellor, co-director of Original Power’s clean energy initiative, who says government action has been slow. They have urged the federal government to trial a ban on disconnections on dangerously hot days.
Federal authorities say they remain committed to collaborating with First Nations communities to address energy poverty and the transition to clean energy in remote areas, and they thank Original Power for their contributions. They emphasize ongoing dialogue with states and territories to improve outcomes for remote communities.
In the meantime, the Northern Territory government has launched campaigns to help customers reduce consumption, keep meters topped up, and use emergency credit to avoid disconnection. They highlight remote community outreach, power-saving information, and concession program guidance, while acknowledging that prepaid meters can pose challenges but also offer certain advantages—such as greater household control and support for cultural mobility and shared living arrangements.
The issues raised by Original Power’s report demand coordinated action among government, regulators, and communities to produce lasting improvements. Some recommendations may require regulatory changes, but the core message remains: energy access, housing quality, and health outcomes are inextricably linked in these communities, and tackling them will require thoughtful, collaborative policy and practice.
But here’s where the conversation gets controversial: should a government intervene to shield people from disconnects on the hottest days, even if it means subsidising or restructuring prepaid systems? And this is the part most people miss: housing upgrades and energy planning must go hand in hand to ensure both safety and affordability, or the cycle of disconnections and waste will persist. How do you weigh the need for reliable power against the realities of limited incomes and aging housing? Share your take in the comments: should disconnections be halted during heatwaves, or are there better ways to protect vulnerable households without undermining utility budgets?
