❓ Hon Lynn MacLaren questions the lack of funding for consumer advocacy in the utilities sector, particularly regarding hardship caused by disconnections and payment difficulties. The Minister responds by outlining existing support mechanisms and monitoring processes.
AnsweredQoN 782Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
UTILITY SERVICES — CONSUMER ADVOCACY BODY
782. Hon LYNN MacLAREN to the
Leader of the House representing the Minister for Energy:
The PRESIDENT : Hon Lynn MacLaren—who I might note
for our guests today is a former American!
Hon LYNN MacLAREN : Thank you, Mr President; they were
bound to work it out as I asked the question!
(1) Why was
there no allocation for the Western Australian Council of Social Service's
consumer essentials project in the 2013–14 state budget?
(2) Is there
currently any non-government body funded by the government to advocate on
behalf of utility customers in Western Australia?
(3) If yes to (2), which bodies and how much funding do they
receive?
(4) If no to
(2), which advocates can consumers turn to when they have issues with utilities
in Western Australia?
(5) What is the
proportion of Western Australians who struggle to pay for essential services
and are detrimentally impacted on when they are unable to pay; for example, by
restrictions, disconnections and late payment penalties?
(6) Will the
government undertake a comprehensive analysis on the incidence of hardship
caused by the actions of utilities?
782. Hon LYNN MacLAREN to the
Leader of the House representing the Minister for Energy:
The PRESIDENT : Hon Lynn MacLaren—who I might note
for our guests today is a former American!
Hon LYNN MacLAREN : Thank you, Mr President; they were
bound to work it out as I asked the question!
(1) Why was
there no allocation for the Western Australian Council of Social Service's
consumer essentials project in the 2013–14 state budget?
(2) Is there
currently any non-government body funded by the government to advocate on
behalf of utility customers in Western Australia?
(3) If yes to (2), which bodies and how much funding do they
receive?
(4) If no to
(2), which advocates can consumers turn to when they have issues with utilities
in Western Australia?
(5) What is the
proportion of Western Australians who struggle to pay for essential services
and are detrimentally impacted on when they are unable to pay; for example, by
restrictions, disconnections and late payment penalties?
(6) Will the
government undertake a comprehensive analysis on the incidence of hardship
caused by the actions of utilities?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of this question.
(1) The Western
Australian Council of Social Service was funded by the state government to
provide the consumer essentials project for a fixed term between 2010–11
and 2012–13.
(2) No.
(3) Not applicable.
(4) Although no
single non-government body advocates on behalf of utility consumers, advocacy
services for utility consumers—in interactions with their retailer—are
provided by financial counselling and community legal centres. These centres
obtain funding from various sources, including the state government. Energy
consumers are also able to obtain assistance from the Energy Ombudsman in
addressing complaints that cannot be adequately resolved with their retailer.
With the recent passage of the Water Services Act 2012, water consumers will
also have access to an ombudsman scheme.
(5) Synergy
and Horizon Power recently released their 2011–12 retailer performance
reports. Synergy reported a 0.71 per cent disconnection rate for its
residential customers—that is, 6 322 of 894 542 customers. This is a
17.4 per cent reduction on its 2010–11 disconnection rate of 0.86 per
cent of its residential customer base. Synergy also reported that 3.25 per cent
of its residential customers were subject to a payment plan in 2011–12.
This is a reduction from 3.8 per cent in the previous year. Horizon Power's
residential disconnection rate in 2011–12 was 0.96 per cent, a
reduction from 2.19 per cent in 2010–11. The above figures compare
favourably with the disconnection rate in other jurisdictions. For 2011–12,
Victoria reported a disconnection rate of 1.02 per cent for residential
customers. For 2010–11, Queensland reported a residential customer
disconnection rate of 1.3 per cent, and South Australia reported a rate of one
per cent.
(6) The state
government continues to monitor the incidence of utility hardship in Western
Australia through the activities of the Department of Finance's Public
Utilities Office, the Energy Ombudsman and through the requirement for
reporting on various customer statistics by utility service providers,
including the number of disconnections, to the Economic Regulation Authority.
some notice of this question.
(1) The Western
Australian Council of Social Service was funded by the state government to
provide the consumer essentials project for a fixed term between 2010–11
and 2012–13.
(2) No.
(3) Not applicable.
(4) Although no
single non-government body advocates on behalf of utility consumers, advocacy
services for utility consumers—in interactions with their retailer—are
provided by financial counselling and community legal centres. These centres
obtain funding from various sources, including the state government. Energy
consumers are also able to obtain assistance from the Energy Ombudsman in
addressing complaints that cannot be adequately resolved with their retailer.
With the recent passage of the Water Services Act 2012, water consumers will
also have access to an ombudsman scheme.
(5) Synergy
and Horizon Power recently released their 2011–12 retailer performance
reports. Synergy reported a 0.71 per cent disconnection rate for its
residential customers—that is, 6 322 of 894 542 customers. This is a
17.4 per cent reduction on its 2010–11 disconnection rate of 0.86 per
cent of its residential customer base. Synergy also reported that 3.25 per cent
of its residential customers were subject to a payment plan in 2011–12.
This is a reduction from 3.8 per cent in the previous year. Horizon Power's
residential disconnection rate in 2011–12 was 0.96 per cent, a
reduction from 2.19 per cent in 2010–11. The above figures compare
favourably with the disconnection rate in other jurisdictions. For 2011–12,
Victoria reported a disconnection rate of 1.02 per cent for residential
customers. For 2010–11, Queensland reported a residential customer
disconnection rate of 1.3 per cent, and South Australia reported a rate of one
per cent.
(6) The state
government continues to monitor the incidence of utility hardship in Western
Australia through the activities of the Department of Finance's Public
Utilities Office, the Energy Ombudsman and through the requirement for
reporting on various customer statistics by utility service providers,
including the number of disconnections, to the Economic Regulation Authority.
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