"For the first time in the Essential Services Commission, we’ve brought together a deliberative panel of customers to make recommendations on what we should be doing, and on how we might define vulnerability."

Rebecca, thanks for joining us on the Blog Spot. Can you begin by telling us more about the role the commission plays in supporting customers experiencing vulnerability?

Our job as a regulator is to promote the long-term interests of Victorian consumers with respect to the price, quality and reliability of essential services. Our role is set out by relevant laws, including the Essential Services Commission Act.  

For those not familiar with our work, we regulate Victoria’s energy, water and transport sectors. We also have a role in local government and the Victorian Energy Upgrades program. In energy and water, we set the rules for businesses in how they deliver their service and how they treat customers when they need help.

"The commission has a role in protecting low-income and vulnerable consumers."

The commission has a role in protecting low-income and vulnerable consumers which usually focuses on a person’s ability to pay their bills. But in more recent times, we have begun to take on board other factors that can lead to customers experiencing vulnerability.

For example, following the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence we introduced rules to protect victim-survivors of family violence. These rules included assistance to support a customer’s physical and psychological safety.

What were your next steps, and what impact did the coronavirus pandemic have on your work?

Our work on specific family violence protections in the energy and water sectors helped us to think about our role in reducing harm and creating better outcomes for all Victorians. In late 2019 we identified vulnerability as an important focus area for our future work.

"The 2019–20 Australian bushfires and the coronavirus pandemic have showed us just how urgent this work is. More people are having trouble paying their bills or accessing support when they need it. Some people are experiencing challenges for the first time and others are finding existing challenges are getting worse."

The 2019–20 Australian bushfires and the coronavirus pandemic have showed us just how urgent this work is. More people are having trouble paying their bills or accessing support when they need it. Some people are experiencing challenges for the first time and others are finding existing challenges are getting worse.

The last year has brought into sharp focus how close we all are to being vulnerable – regardless of our education, employment status.

Developing a clear way forward was an obvious next step so we announced in September the development of a commission-wide strategy to address consumer vulnerability across our work.

Addressing vulnerability is complex, what’s your approach?

We think it is important to have a coordinated and transparent approach to how we go about addressing consumer vulnerability.

"When we talk about vulnerability, we mean when someone’s circumstances lead to a loss of access to essential services, like water or energy."

When we talk about vulnerability, we mean when someone’s circumstances lead to a loss of access to essential services, like water or energy. Across our regulated sectors this could mean someone isn’t able to pay their bills, but it could also mean they can’t access information or support from their provider. For victim-survivors of family violence, it could also mean that privacy and safety is very important.

Everyone is likely to have one time or another where they are vulnerable. Some people’s circumstances will mean they experience vulnerability for a short time, others may be long-term or ongoing. People can also be affected by multiple risk factors at the same time. That’s why it’s important to work together.

What else are you doing to guide your work?

To ensure we have a very solid understanding of the issues surrounding vulnerability, we’ve have stepped up our engagement with advocacy agencies, community workers and the public in the last nine months.

We’ve been asking about what’s been happening through the coronavirus pandemic and what to include in our future work.

"For the first time at the Essential Services Commission, we’ve brought together a deliberative panel of customers to make recommendations on what we should be doing, and on how we might define vulnerability."

For the first time at the Essential Services Commission, we’ve brought together a deliberative panel of customers to make recommendations on what we should be doing, and on how we might define vulnerability. Alongside this panel we are also:

• Listening to the views of community workers and financial counsellors about their experiences supporting clients
• Doing data analysis on how many people are currently receiving help from businesses and what future risks we might need to think about
• Talking to community organisations, energy and water businesses to understand what’s happening on the ground from their perspective
• Talking to a special group of organisations helping a wide range of Victorians, including disability organisations, mental health organisations and organisations helping people from many cultural backgrounds
• Looking at research from around the world about how other regulators have worked on the same issues

"We see that taking part in events such as the Disaster Planning and Recovery National Virtual Roadshow as a critical part of us delivering on." 

Each day we make decisions to promote the long-term interests of all Victorians – whether creating rules for businesses to follow or making sure they follow them. Taking part in events such as the Disaster Planning and Recovery National Virtual Roadshow as a critical part of us delivering on our role.

By reaching out across sectors, and across jurisdictions, we are forming a broader perspective of our role. By sharing our experiences, we can leverage expertise and knowledge.

By bringing the voices of people’s experiences into our work, we gain valuable insight into the things that really matter to ensure our decisions are in the long-term interest of all.