Support is available for residential customers experiencing family violence. Electricity, gas and water retailers must supply key protections to customers affected by family violence and have a family violence policy that explains what support is available.
Information for customers
If you are an electricity, gas or water customer experiencing family violence, your provider may be able to help. Your provider has a trained and dedicated team to help you:
- Safely, confidentially and compassionately talk about your situation
- Protect your information
- Navigate what financial support is available to you
- Keep your gas and power on.
It is important that you refer to your provider’s family violence policy, which is designed to assist customers affected by family violence. You can access the policy on your provider’s website, or your provider can supply you with a printed copy at no cost to you.
If you have a complaint about your provider, the Energy and Water Ombudsman may be able to assist you. The Energy and Water Ombudsman Western Australia is an independent, impartial body that investigates and resolves complaints about electricity, gas and water providers in Western Australia.
Obligations on electricity, gas and water retailers
As a condition of the electricity, gas and water licenses issued by the ERA, providers must publish a family violence policy and offer support to customers affected by family violence. The ERA’s Compliance Reporting Manuals for electricity, gas and water detail these obligations on licensees. In the compliance manuals, the family violence obligations for electricity and gas providers are outlined in section 14, and water providers in section 13.
The ERA can amend the family violence obligations for energy retailers, after consulting with stakeholders, when it updates the Electricity Code of Conduct or the Gas Compendium. These instruments use the term “vulnerable customers” when referring to customers experiencing family violence.
The Minister for Water can amend the family violence obligations for water providers by updating the Water services Code of Practice (Family Violence) 2020 administered by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER).
Family Violence Policy
Electricity, gas and water providers are required to develop, maintain and publish a family violence policy that addresses what supports are available to customers affected by family violence. The latest version of a provider’s family violence policy must be available on its website, and must outline how the following matters will be addressed:
- Staff training: Staff must be appropriately trained to recognise and assist customers affected by family violence. For electricity and gas providers, the training must be developed in consultation with, or delivered by, relevant customer representatives.
- Privacy: All providers must help protect the privacy of a customer’s account information. This includes taking reasonable steps to establish a safe method of communication with the customer.
- Customer service: All providers must establish processes that ensure a customer is not asked repeatedly to disclose or refer to their experience of family violence. Water providers must supply customers with information on how to make a complaint and what external support is available.
- Debt management and disconnection: Electricity and gas providers must consider, before commencing debt recovery or disconnection action, the circumstances and effect on a customer and whether another person is responsible for the debt. Electricity and gas providers must also consider reducing or waving the fees, charges and debt on a vulnerable customers account. A water provider must provide information on its financial hardship policy and its relevance to a customer affected by family violence.
Evidence of family violence
It is important that customers are not deterred from seeking assistance by requiring excessive evidence of their situation. Electricity, gas and water providers are prohibited from requesting written evidence of family violence, except when necessary to assess the appropriate measures for debt management or disconnection action. If written evidence is required by an electricity or gas provider, it must be limited to one piece of evidence.
Disconnection moratorium
Electricity and gas are essential services and disconnecting a customer’s supply for non-payment of bills is a last resort. Vulnerable customers may be experiencing payment difficulties as a result of financial abuse or other circumstances related to family violence. Electricity and gas providers are prohibited from disconnecting the supply address of a vulnerable customer for non-payment for nine months from the date a retailer becomes aware that the customer is affected by family violence.
The nine-month disconnection moratorium promotes the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable customers, by allowing the customer to stay connected without participating in the retailer’s hardship program or make debt repayments. Staying connected means that customers have power for charging mobile phones and home security systems, plus heating and cooking to maintain a liveable environment.
As of 1 January 2026, electricity customers affected by family violence will have the option to opt out of the disconnection moratorium, by advising their retailer. Customers may opt back in to the moratorium at any time.
Electricity customers with pre-payment meters
A pre-payment meter requires customers to pay for electricity prior to consumption and are common in remote parts of Western Australia. Customers with pre-payment meters can request that their meter is replaced by a standard meter. Vulnerable customers cannot be charged for the replacement. Retailers must also assist pre-payment meter customers who are experiencing payment difficulties. Assistance can include information about concessions and connection with financial and other counselling services.