Energy Consumers Australia thanks the Essential Services Commission (ESC) for the opportunity to comment on the Victorian Default Offer 2023-24 Consultation Paper. The Victorian Default Offer (VDO) is an important tool safeguarding consumers from unaffordable energy prices and we commend the ESC’s continued efforts to ensure it continues to do so.

In our submission we:

• Offer our support to the ESC’s decision to not make major changes to the overall methodology
• Agree that retail costs should not be indexed in line with large increases to the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
• Question whether the retail margin remains at a reasonable level given increases to the overall VDO bill
• Highlight the importance of building consumer trust in an environment of rising energy costs.

Read our full submission here