ESC Payment Difficulties Submission

The Council on the Ageing Victoria (COTA Vic) is pleased to comment briefly on the Essential Services Commission (ESC) Victoria’s new draft decision for its Payment Difficulties Framework. We greatly appreciate the work to date on revising the framework and taking into consideration the barriers energy customers may face in seeking assistance regarding payment difficulties. In the context of rising utility costs, COTA’s key concern for older Victorians are the protections, assistance measures and engagement processes with residential customers by retailers to effectively manage payment difficulties.