News

We welcome the opportunity to provide our submission with support from Westjustice and Mob Strong Debt Help, to the Essential Services Commission (ESC) in response to their consultation on Stage 2 of the Energy Retail Code of Practice (ERCoP).

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) strongly supports the proposed reforms outlined by the ESC in the consultation paper. We consider that these reforms will provide significant relief to Victorian consumers experiencing payment difficulty, vulnerability and/or barriers to engaging with the complex energy market, and will go a long way in providing assistance to those consumers who need it most.

Consumer Action particularly welcomes the ESC’s objectives in strengthening supports for First Nations consumers, though we believe that before the ESC mandates that retailers ask self-identification questions, they should focus on ensuring that First Nations perspectives are sought and given the utmost credence to ensure that future reforms lead to positive outcomes for First Nations consumers.

We also support the ESC’s proposed reforms that will bring additional supports to consumers affected by family violence. We consider that when managing the debt of a consumer affected by family violence, the ERCoP needs to be more prescriptive in outlining that retailers should be going above and beyond the basic tailored assistance available under the ERCoP.

Read the full submission and recommendations (PDF).