Origin Energy has paid penalties totalling over $70,000 after we issued two penalty notices on 18 July 2022.
Origin Energy penalty notices 2022 (life support protections and payment difficulty framework)
Origin Energy has paid penalties totalling over $70,000 after we issued two penalty notices on 18 July 2022. We issued the penalties to Origin Energy for allegedly breaching rules that protect Victorians relying on electricity for life support, and who are facing bill stress.
One penalty notice relates to an alleged breach of Victoria’s enforceable energy payment difficulty framework which requires retailers to provide assistance to customers facing bill stress. Origin Energy allegedly breached the rules after failing to action a request for payment assistance from a financial counsellor acting on a customer’s behalf.
The second penalty notice relates to the provision of life support protections. After a customer notified Origin Energy that they needed life support equipment, the retailer allegedly failed to register the customer’s premises appropriately, failed to provide the customer with required information, and failed to inform the customer’s electricity distributor of the life support equipment within the required timeframes.