Essential Services Commission

We promote the long-term interests of Victorian consumers with respect to the price, quality and reliability of essential services.

Cog wheel.

Featured work

An image showing a hand flicking a large electricity switch on a blue wall
Electricity and gas icon

Rules to help Victorians access affordable energy and tackle ‘loyalty tax' proposed by regulator

The Essential Services Commission is proposing new rules to require energy retailers to move certain customers onto cheaper plans. The commission estimates these rules would have saved customers an average of around $225 on electricity and $182 on their gas each year.

Electricity and gas icon

Independent regulator announces Victorian electricity default offer

The Essential Services Commission has released its final decision on the Victorian Default Offer to apply from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026.

Woman looking anxious while holding a mobile phone
Victorian Energy Upgrades icon

Business fined $69,231 for illegal telemarketing

Astra Green Solutions Pty Ltd (trading as Astra Green) has been penalised $69,231 for breaching a ban on cold-call telemarketing in the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program.

An image showing a wall socket with a power cord plugged in, in the shape of a in the dollar sign
Electricity and gas icon

Origin penalised $17.6 million for failings affecting over 650,000 customers

Australia’s largest energy retailer, Origin Energy, has been ordered to pay $17,605,000 by the Supreme Court of Victoria after admitting to breaches of Victoria’s energy rules that affected 668,750 customers.

Latest News

An image showing a transmission tower backlit by the sun.
Electricity and gas icon
News update
23 June 2025

Regulator’s review of electricity distributors’ emergency preparedness and customer communication

The Essential Services Commission has recently completed its review of the systems and processes Victoria’s electricity distributors have in place to deliver reliable and timely information to their customers during unplanned outages and emergencies. 
An image of a watering can distributing water over a garden bed of orange flowers.
Water icon
News update
18 June 2025

Regulator releases report on new customer contributions

As part of a review into the new customer contributions framework, the Essential Services Commission has released a report in response to issues raised by water businesses and other interested parties.
Shipping containers at the Port of Melbourne with the Melbourne CBD in the background
Port of Melbourne icon
News update
18 June 2025

Inquiry into Port of Melbourne rent setting process released

A report into the findings of the Essential Services Commission’s second inquiry into the Port of Melbourne’s (the Port) approach to rent negotiations has been tabled in the Parliament of Victoria this week.
Aerial view of a suburb in Melbourne
Local government icon
Media releases
12 June 2025

Cap on council rates continues to benefit ratepayers

The Essential Services Commission has released its 2025 Local Government Outcomes Report, which shows most local councils remain in good financial health and ratepayers continue to benefit from council rate caps.
A water bill on a table, with a person's hand using a smartphone's calculator app
Water icon
News update
12 June 2025

Reduction in maximum interest rate payable on overdue water bills

The Essential Services Commission has lowered the maximum interest rate water businesses can charge customers who do not pay their bills on time from 6.2 per cent to 5.7 per cent per annum.

A glass of water on a benchtop
Water icon
News update
12 June 2025

New guideline to help water businesses address billing issues

The Essential Services Commission has published

View more

Featured consultations

View all current consultations