Electricity licensing exemptions customer dispute resolution scheme

The Victorian Government’s General Exemption Order (a key document related to electricity licensing exemptions) specifies that most exempt persons, such as embedded electricity networks in some apartment buildings, shopping centres, caravan parks and retirement villages, must join a customer dispute resolution scheme by 1 July 2018.

We have approved the Energy and Water Ombudsman (Victoria) (EWOV) as a customer dispute resolution scheme for the purposes of the General Exemption Order.

View more on electricity licensing exemptions. 

On 12 December 2017 (EWOV) applied to the commission to vary its existing approval to include the relevant embedded networks.

In considering and approving an application for a customer dispute resolution scheme, we must consider section 28(2) of the Electricity Industry Act 2000. The Act states:

• the objectives of the commission under this Act and under the Essential Services Commission Act 2001
• the need to ensure that the scheme is accessible to the licensee's customers and that there are no cost barriers to those customers using the scheme
• the need to ensure that the scheme is independent of the members of the scheme
• the need for the scheme to be fair and be seen to be fair
• the need to ensure that the scheme will publish decisions and information about complaints received by the scheme so as to be accountable to the members of the scheme and the customers of the scheme members
• the need for the scheme to undertake regular reviews of its performance to ensure that its operation is efficient and effective.

We invited interested stakeholders to provide their feedback on EWOV’s application, specifically in relation to section 28(2) of the Electricity Industry Act 2000. Three submissions were received.