Reviewing the Energy Retail Code of Practice

Overview

In 2025, we completed a review of the Energy Retail Code of Practice that considered the energy consumer reforms proposed by the Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council (ECMC) in July 2024.  Details on this stage can be found in the Energy Consumer Reforms page. 

On 24 March 2026, we published a consultation paper to seek stakeholder feedback to inform additional reforms to the Energy Retail Code of Practice, including those discussed in the commission’s issues paper published in June 2024. 

On 24 March 2026, we published a consultation paper to seek stakeholder feedback to inform amendments to the Energy Retail Code of Practice. The consultation paper highlights the key themes and topics we intend to review, including:

• strengthening family violence protections
• supporting future First Nations customer reforms
• protections for consumers with secondary meters
• information for consumers on gas disconnection and abolishment
• improving consumer contact information for power outages
• clarifying protections that apply to customers with closed accounts
• general updates and other changes.

Draft decision in September 2026

Stakeholder feedback on the consultation paper will help inform our draft decision. We expect to release our draft decision in September 2026 and a final decision later in 2026. 

Our draft decision will focus on targeted reforms to clarify the regulatory framework and reduce regulatory burden while maintaining strong consumer protections. This includes:

1. Protections for consumers with secondary meters

2. Information for consumers on gas disconnection and abolishment

3. Strengthening requirements for handling complaints

4. Reducing costs and regulatory burden, including removing the requirement to publish notices and changes to standing offer prices in newspapers. 

Considering additional reforms in 2027

In 2027, we will consider the additional reforms discussed in the Strengthening Protections for Energy Consumers in Victoria Consultation Paper. This includes protections for customers affected by family violence, payment difficulty protections for customers with closed accounts and improving consumer contact information for power outages. We will consider whether the desired outcomes can be achieved through non-regulatory measures, or whether regulatory reforms are required. 

Guided by stakeholder feedback and consistent with the commission's Getting to Fair: Advancing Equity strategy, we are beginning with non-regulatory approaches to improve outcomes for First Nations consumers before pursuing any rule change.

How to contact us

We will continue to proactively engage with the community, industry, community organisations and advocacy groups, government departments and agencies through individual meetings as this review progresses.

You can contact us via email, mail or phone.

• Email: energyreform@esc.vic.gov.au
• Mail: Essential Services Commission, Level 8, 570 Bourke Street, Melbourne Victoria 3000
• Phone: +61 3 9032 1300

We are also open to meeting with you to discuss specific feedback and encourage you to get in touch to discuss this option.

If English is not your first language, please contact TIS National on 131 450 to make your submission using an interpreter.

On 24 March 2026, we published a consultation paper to seek stakeholder feedback to inform amendments to the Energy Retail Code of Practice.