Published quarterly, the VEMR aims to help customers understand how the energy retail market works and what they need to do to get the best out of it. It also highlights key compliance and enforcement outcomes delivered by the commission in the reporting period.
The June 2024 VEMR is the final report presented by Essential Services Commission Chairperson Kate Symons, whose term finishes on 30 June. In her foreword, Commissioner Symons reflects on the commission’s key role to promote positive outcomes for Victorian energy consumers as her tenure ends.
“During my tenure, I have seen the commission evolve from a traditional pricing regulator of monopoly services to a stronger consumer-focused regulator. Today, Victorians are entitled to nation-leading consumer protections and the commission has the investigative tools and enforcement pathways of a modern regulator.”
Commissioner Symons notes the commission’s continued actions to hold energy businesses to account for alleged non-compliance with the energy rules, with significant enforcement action that reflect the seriousness with which the commission takes non-compliance with rules that impact consumer rights and protections.
“We accepted a court enforceable undertaking from AusNet for its failure to provide adequate power outage information and communication channels to its customers following significant storm events in February 2024. The enforceable undertaking represents a legally binding obligation for AusNet to directly contribute $12 million to provide remediation to affected customers. It must also improve community energy resilience to extreme weather events.
“In addition, during the reporting period Origin Energy (Vic) Pty Ltd and Origin Energy Electricity Limited paid over $295,000 in penalties for allegedly contravening Victoria’s energy rules related to debt recovery and family violence, and Blue NRG Pty Ltd paid over $436,000 in penalties for allegedly breaching rules related to Guaranteed Service Level payments,” Commissioner Symons said.
The June 2024 VEMR provides the latest statistics on customers experiencing payment difficulty, wrongful disconnections and disconnections for non-payment. It also highlights energy market entries and exits and provides an analysis of current GreenPower offers.
