Message from the Ombudsman

During 2019-2020, electricity made up the bulk of our caseload, accounting for 84 per cent of the 7621 cases closed. Our total cases closed fell from 8559 in 2018-2019, with a significant drop in general enquiries, referrals and refer backs.

We believe the steps taken by our scheme participants to improve their internal dispute resolution processes and to support their customers during COVID-19 has contributed to the downward trend of our case numbers.

We encourage these initiatives as they are in the best interests of consumers. Our efforts to raise awareness of our service and continued promotion of the requirement for consumers to contact their retailer or distributor first is also reflected in this result.

The number of investigations our office closed continued to increase during 2019-2020. This is an area we add value by helping both industry and consumers resolve complex issues.

Billing disputes continue to account for more than half of the complaints we receive, followed by credit-related issues (including payment difficulties, hardship and debt listings), which is consistent with previous years. Our third most common area of complaint is provision, which are problems with new or existing connections, followed closely by customer service issues.

As a free, fair and independent dispute resolution service for energy and water consumers, we are committed to ensuring our service evolves with consumer and member expectations.

Over the past 12 months, we have focused on a number of internal projects designed to improve our services for energy and water consumers – and their providers – and ensuring Queenslanders who need our help know what we do and how to contact us.

We are working to streamline our service and improve customer experience across case management, telephony and online channels. We have delivered significant improvements to our working environment for team members too, with a cloud-based electronic document and records management system and a new intranet.

The first phase of our new website, which launched in June, takes a mobile-first and customer-centred approach designed to make it easier for customers and members to quickly find the information and services they need.

Our case management system has been upgraded and will integrate with our new telephony system and website, incorporating enhanced call and customer functions, including live chat on the website and improved quality assurance and reporting.

We also completed a customer satisfaction survey, implemented regular Voice of the Customer surveys and commissioned an independent review of our service, assessing our complaint handling service and operations against the benchmarks for industry-based dispute resolution.

One of our greatest achievements in 2019-2020 was launching our second Reconciliation Action Plan – our Innovate RAP. Featuring our new Indigenous artwork, the Innovate RAP builds on the foundations of our Reflect RAP and continues our reconciliation journey. As the Ombudsman, I am committed to delivering the actions detailed in the RAP and to helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers know that it is okay to complain if they have a problem with their electricity, gas or water provider.

We look forward to contributing our insights to broader conversations with energy and water providers and community stakeholders in the interests of improving the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers.

During 2019-2020, we continued to invest in and support our people. The groundwork we made last financial year in progressing flexible working arrangements and improving mobility across our teams paid dividends as our entire team moved seamlessly to the new working from home arrangements during March.

We have continued to focus on our people, capability and culture this year and developing the skills of our team to encourage career growth, development and strengthening our succession planning.

Throughout COVID-19, we continued to consult our managers and teams to support our people to perform at their best under the circumstances and reduce the uncertainty around return to work and workplace health and safety. Our move to a Microsoft 365 environment, incorporating Teams, SharePoint and Yammer, prior to the pandemic has allowed us to stay connected and collaborate effectively.

Community outreach and stakeholder engagement are an important part of our service.

Our outreach program during 2019-2020 focused on reaching consumers in regional areas, older Queenslanders and customers in financial difficulty, who we reach through our relationships with financial counsellors and community services that help those in financial hardship. We continued to foster relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, with highlights including visits to Mt Isa and Yarrabah.

While our planned face-to-face outreach activities were cancelled or postponed from late March onwards because of COVID-19, we have continued to create opportunities to raise awareness of our services by other means, including webinars and mainstream media.

Engaging with our key stakeholders is integral to our service and we continue to look for new ways to develop and strengthen connections with our scheme participants, peers, community groups, government departments and industry regulators.

This financial year we’ve continued our future focus, both in meeting the evolving needs and expectations of customers as well as the proposed legislative changes and an expanded jurisdiction.

With key projects delivered or close to completion, we are well placed to continue to improve our service delivery into the next financial year by working to deliver a better customer experience for all customers across all channels.

We are ready to meet the challenge of an expanded jurisdiction once the Mineral and Energy Resources and other Legislation Amendment Bill is implemented and are looking forward to welcoming the changes and possible new scheme members.

While the changes and challenges of the past 12 months have been significant, I am heartened by the resilience and agility of the energy and water sectors – and how much can be achieved when government and industry work together in the best interests of consumers for these basic essential services.

I am grateful for the ongoing support and counsel of the Advisory Council, in particular Anna Moynihan, who has contributed significantly to the scheme over the past five years and who will conclude her term as Chair in the coming financial year. Also, to my peers in the Ombudsman community and my team for their business and industry knowledge and strong performance over the past 12 months, particularly in developing and implementing our rapid response to COVID-19.

I would like to thank our scheme members for their support and commitment to the projects we have undertaken over the past 12 months to improve our service.

While the next 12 months will undoubtedly bring new challenges and opportunities, I am confident we are well placed to continue delivering great results for Queensland’s energy and water consumers.