Energy Consumers Australia appreciates the opportunity to provide a submission to the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) consultation on banning telemarketing under the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program.

We are pleased to see the announcement regarding the proposed ban on telemarketing and other high-risk forms of unsolicited marketing under the VEU program. We are supportive of action being taken as we recognise the growing number of consumer complaints about this practice. Our submission highlights the reasons why we support action being taken to protect consumers from potentially misleading or harmful marketing.

Our submission has three key insights:

• Poor marketing behaviour and misinformation are contributing to an already complex energy environment which is difficult for consumers to navigate.
• Prices are high and consumers are looking for ways to save money by reducing bills making them particularly vulnerable to marketing tactics.
• Telemarketing and door to door sales are but one avenue for misinformation, more needs to be done to tackle digital advertising.

Read the full submission here.