Origin Energy fined $17m for Victorian energy rule breaches

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Energy retailers in Victoria are being put on notice after origin energy was hit with a $17 million dollar fine for failings affecting more 650-thousand customers. It is the largest financial penalty for breaches in Victoria’s energy rules in the state’s history.

Transcript

00:00The judgment in the Supreme Court came with a big financial whack.

00:06Origin Energy ordered to pay a fine of more than $17 million for breaches of Victoria's

00:12energy rules that affected over half a million gas and electricity customers between December

00:172021 and May 2023.

00:19Namely, the company admitted to not providing adequate best offer messaging to 655,000 customers

00:27and not providing sufficient support to around 6,800 customers struggling to meet payments.

00:34There were 78 instances of overcharging.

00:36Origin also failed to properly maintain information on 10 customers on the life support register.

00:43In his judgment, Justice Michael Osborne highlighted the importance of imposing a penalty large

00:47enough to deter not just Origin but operators like it.

00:51The Essential Services Commission, which took the energy retailer to court, agrees.

00:56This matter is not only for Origin but should send a message to all Victorian electricity

01:01and gas companies.

01:03Across the boardrooms of those companies it should be a wake-up call that compliance with

01:07consumer protections is vital.

01:09The company says it's sorry it didn't meet its obligations to its customers and takes

01:13full responsibility for the breaches, adding customers suffered no or limited loss or damage.

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