EnergyAustralia - who we are and what we do

EnergyAustralia is a NSW Government state-owned corporation established under the Energy Services Corporations Act 1995 (NSW). We have two main types of business activities:

Our electricity network stretches from Waterfall in Sydney's south, through the NSW Central Coast, and into the Upper Hunter Valley north of Newcastle. It includes roughly the eastern half of the Sydney metropolitan area.

Our retail operations market and sell electricity and gas to residential and business customers in NSW, the ACT, Queensland and Victoria.

Our social responsibilities

As a provider of an essential service, we accept that we have a responsibility to give special consideration to the interests of residential customers who are in financial difficulties and struggling to pay their energy bills.

As a state-owned corporation, our founding legislation reinforces this responsibility. It states that, while one of our principal objectives is to be a successful business, a measure of that success is whether we exhibit a sense of social responsibility by having regard to the interests of the community in which we operate. Treating residential customers in financial difficulties with respect and consideration is a tangible demonstration of social responsibility.

While we accept that we have these social responsibilities, it is important to note that the causes of financial hardship are not energy-related and the impacts go well beyond questions of access to, and affordability of, energy supply. So, along with the part we play in the hardship assistance process, there are many others with greater roles and responsibilities, including government and the hardship customers themselves.

What is a hardship customer?

We define a "hardship customer" as someone who, though willing to pay their energy bills on time in accordance with our usual payment terms, is experiencing financial difficulties that mean they cannot pay on time. (This definition excludes those customers who have the financial capacity to pay on time, but choose not to).

There are three types of hardship customer: short-term, medium-term and long-term.

Short-term and medium-term hardship customers are generally those who have experienced a sudden change in living circumstances, such as ill-health, unemployment, a death in the family, a loss arising from an accident, or some other temporary financial difficulty. These customers generally require flexibility and temporary assistance, such as an extension of time to pay, once-off financial assistance, or a payment arrangement.

Longer-term hardship customers are generally those on low, fixed incomes, such as government pensions or allowances. Their hardship may be caused by an unforseen event, is generally more chronic and requires amore formalised case management approach.

Our Hardship Charter

This Hardship Charter outlines the commitments that EnergyAustralia gives for dealing with bill payments by all of our residential customers and, in particular, for assisting those residential customers who are experiencing genuine hardship. It is based upon principles of fairness, understanding and dignity.

1. Flexible bill payment options
We will offer a range of flexible bill payment options.

2. Payment reminder notices
We will send payment reminder notices.

3. Contact a customer if no response to payment reminders
We will use our best endeavours to make contact with customers about unpaid bills if there is no response to our payment reminder notices.

4. Encourage customers to self identify their payment difficulties
We will encourage residential customers who are experiencing financial difficulties to contact us.

5. Allow alternative payment options for short to medium-term difficulties
We will provide payment extensions and instalment payment plans to residential customers in accordance with our credit policy if customers are experiencing short-to medium-term financial difficulties.

6. Access to our EnergyAssist program for longer-term difficulties
We will offer residential customers who are in longer-term financial difficulties access to our EnergyAssist hardship program for assistance that is tailored to meet their particular circumstances.

7. Protection from disconnection for EnergyAssist clients
We will not disconnect any residential customer while they are actively participating in our EnergyAssist hardship assistance program.

8. Reconnection of customers participating in EnergyAssist
We will reconnect a residential customer in hardship who has suffered disconnection and commits to participate in our EnergyAssist hardship program within the reconnection timeframes specified in the relevant state or territory's energy laws.

9. Waiving late payment fees
We will ensure hardship customers do not experience increased debts as a result of late payment fees.

10. Access to energy efficiency information
We will raise the energy literacy of our customers through verbal and written communication so they can make informed decisions about their energy consumption, associated costs and ways to save.

11. Access to energy audits
We will encourage our EnergyAssist customers to take part in energy audits that identify ways to reduce energy consumption and costs.

12. Access to information about government concessions
We will inform customers about the government energy concessions and government energy payment assistance programs that are available in their state or territory.

13. Access to financial counselling services
We will refer EnergyAssist customers to accredited financial counselling agencies that offer a free and confidential financial counselling service.

14. Referrals to other avenues of support
We will refer EnergyAssist customers to other government and non-government avenues of support that are appropriate to their needs.

15. Actively develop links to community welfare agencies
We will actively engage with community welfare organisations for the benefit of our hardship customers, maintaining a special priority hotline for social welfare workers and participating in community workshops and forums.

16. Access to information about this hardship charter
We will provide readily available, easily accessible information about our hardship charter.

17. Appropriate staff training to respond to hardship
We will continue to educate our staff to identify customers in hardship.

18. Reporting of our hardship management performance
We will report to all relevant government licensing agencies on any agreed hardship assistance performance indicators.

19. Review and continuous improvement of hardship responses
We will regularly review our hardship charter and programs in light of our own experience and external feedback to ensure that we continuously improve our hardship responses.