Energy and Water Ombudsman Amendment Bill 2015

Introduced: 15/9/2015By: Hon M Bailey MPStatus: PASSED with amendment

Business & Economy Cost of Living Justice & Rights

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Plain English Summary

Overview

This bill expands what the Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland (EWOQ) can do. It opens the free dispute resolution service to small businesses with higher electricity use, lets EWOQ handle credit reporting complaints against energy and water providers, and fixes a small drafting error in another energy law.

Who it affects

Small businesses using moderate-to-high amounts of electricity, and customers concerned about how energy or water providers handle their credit information, gain new avenues to complain. Energy retailers and water utilities will deal with more EWOQ cases and receive customer details for billing checks.

Key changes

Small businesses using between 100 and 160 MWh of electricity a year can take disputes to EWOQ
EWOQ can apply to be recognised as an External Dispute Resolution scheme for credit reporting complaints about energy and water providers
EWOQ can share customer identifying details (like account numbers) with utilities for billing reconciliation on 'refer back to provider' cases
Most changes start on a date set by proclamation, with the credit reporting functions commencing on 1 January 2016
A reference error in the National Energy Retail Law (Queensland) Act 2014 is corrected so price deregulation works from 1 July 2016

How this affects you

Business & Economy

•If you run a small business using 100 to 160 megawatt hours of electricity a year, you can take disputes with your retailer to EWOQ for freeClause 6 (new s 6C)An eligible non-residential energy customer is a business customer who consumes electricity at business premises at or above the upper consumption threshold and at not more than 160MWh a year.
•Small businesses gain the same independent dispute service that residential customers already useClauses 4-9Replaces 'small customer (energy)' with 'relevant energy customer' throughout the Act so the broader customer definition flows through EWOQ's functions and dispute-handling powers.

Cost of Living

•You get a free, local avenue to challenge your energy retailer over bills or service without hiring a lawyerClause 6 (new s 6D)A relevant energy customer is a small customer (energy) or an eligible non-residential energy customer, giving both groups access to EWOQ.
•Utilities can now reconcile EWOQ bills against their own records, which may reduce billing errors passed on to customersClause 11EWOQ may disclose customer identifying information to a utility entity to the extent reasonably necessary for user-pays fees and billing reconciliation.

Justice & Rights

•You can complain to EWOQ if you think your energy or water provider has misused your credit informationClause 7Expands EWOQ's functions to receive, investigate and resolve complaints about acts or practices of scheme participants that may interfere with an individual's privacy under the Commonwealth Privacy Act.
•When you lodge certain EWOQ complaints, your account details may be shared with your utility so it can verify the bill it receives from EWOQClause 11The eligible customer is taken to have agreed to their customer identifying information being disclosed to the utility entity to the extent reasonably necessary for user-pays purposes.
•EWOQ becomes eligible to be an officially recognised External Dispute Resolution scheme under the federal Privacy ActClauses 7 and 13Adds the Information Commissioner as a recipient of EWOQ reports so EWOQ can apply for recognition as an EDR scheme under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cwlth).

Bill Journey

Introduced15 Sept 2015

First Reading

Committee

Committee Report29 Oct 2015

Committee report tabled

Second Reading

In Detail

Third Reading

Royal Assent20 Nov 2015

Referenced Entities

Sectors Affected

Civil Law Electricity Water Supply

Classified using AGIFT/ANZSIC Australian government standards

Energy and Water Ombudsman Amendment Bill 2015

Plain English Summary

Overview

Who it affects

Key changes

Bill Journey

Referenced Entities

Legislation

Organisations

Programs & Schemes

Roles & Offices

Sectors Affected

Source Documents