First nations households struggle with sweltering summer heat

As we approach another sweltering summer, how would you cope with hours-long power blackouts every week in the midst of forty-plus temperatures? How would you keep your food safe, your medicines stored and your aircon going? That's the reality for thousands of first nations households who get their power through a prepaid smart meter. The report finds they have an average of 59 disconnections a year when their credit runs out - often because they're elderly and on very low incomes and having to walk long distances to top up their power at a supermarket.