EOQ Update - Consultation

EOQ attends NAIDOC Week celebrations in Cairns
NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) celebrations are held yearly throughout Australia in the first full week of July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. EOQ attended the annual NAIODC week festival held in Cairns on 13 July 2007 which featured information stalls from government, organisations and councils on a range of community issues. It provided a great opportunity to showcase EOQ to Indigenous energy consumers and was attended by approximately 2,000 people from the north Queensland region.

EOQ stand at Naidoc Week celebration in Cairns - July 2007

Seniors Week 2007
Seniors Week (18-26 August 2007) was a great time to remind older people about their rights as energy consumers in Queensland's new competitive energy market, especially the market conduct of energy retailers. EOQ held an information stand at the Seniors Week Fun Day and Expo held at Brisbane's South Bank Parklands on 19 August 2007. Approximately 5,000 people attended the Seniors Expo and our consultation with those who visited our display, reinforced that there is a lot of confusion in the general public about Queensland's new competitive energy market, in particular confusion over the sale of ENERGEX's retail business and who the new energy retailers are.

EOQ staff talk to attendees at the Seniors Fun Day and Expo - August 2007

EOQ info sessions throughout SEQ
EOQ officers met with a range of welfare and assistance agency workers in the Deception Bay area in early October. We presented at the Deception Bay Neighbourhood Centre who kindly allowed us to use their venue and invited many of their colleagues from other organisations in the area to attend. It was the first of many information sessions we are planning throughout the south-east region for November. These sessions will occur in areas with high complaint figures, particularly those with account payment difficulties and a high number of disconnections. In saying this, we will also ensure that the whole south-east region receives good coverage.

If you would like to hold an EOQ information session at your organisation's venue, please email info@eoq.com.au.

EOQ info session with welfare & assistance agencies in Deception Bay - October 2007

Energy Ombudsman visits Rockhampton
In late August 2007, Energy Ombudsman, Barry Adams, visited Rockhampton, where our Central Queensland office is located, to promote the services of our newly established scheme. While he was there, Barry met with a range of local stakeholders including local Members of Parliament and welfare/assistance agencies and community groups, such as St Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army. Barry also carried out a range of local media interviews to spread the word of EOQ. Barry will also visit Cairns in late October to carry out similar consultation in the North Queensland region.

Energy Ombudsman Barry Adams (left) meets with Tony Stevenson from Anglicare in Rockhampton - August 2007

Hardship focus group
EOQ works closely with Ergon Energy whose 'Keeping Customers Connected Program' aims to assist consumers who have a willingness to pay their energy account but are experiencing extreme difficulties due to unforseen circumstances. EOQ's North Queensland Regional Manager, Samina Shah, and Ergon Energy's North Queensland Case Manager Kylie Dunnel, hosted a pilot hardship focus group in Cairns in late September to introduce and provide information on the services of EOQ and Ergon Energy's 'Keeping Customers Connected Program'. Community members from agencies such as Salvation Army, Centacare, and Hambledon House who assist individuals experiencing temporary or long-term financial difficulties in the north Queensland region were invited to attend. Invitees shared the challenges they experience when assisting those in financial hardship, including:

language barriers between Non-English speaking customers who are in hardship
the need for increased awareness of hardship programs available to electricity and gas customers
high accounts experienced by clients with disabilities, and
the need for energy suppliers to increase the use of telephone language interpreters and circulation of editorials to community organisations.

Further workshops will be held in 2007/08. To register your interest, please email info@eoq.com.au.

Community visits throughout Mackay
EOQ's Central Queensland Regional Manager, Keith Brooke, took some time out of the office in September to travel to Mackay where he met with a number of local stakeholders. These community visits not only help increase the awareness of our service but provide a good opportunity to discuss the specific issues faced in each region.

EOQ Central Queensland Regional Manager Keith Brooke with Donna Black from Alpha in our recent stakeholder consultation trips to Mackay - September 2007

EOQ consults EWOV in the lead up to full retail competition
Before the Energy Ombudsman Queensland officially commenced on 1 July 2007, we invited members of the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria (EOQ) to share their experience of retail competition dispute resolution. Fiona McLeod, Energy and Water Ombudsman (Victoria), Janine Young, Deputy Energy and Water Ombudsman (Victoria), and Mark Raso, Conciliator, kindly agreed to spend a day with the future EOQ team.

The EWOV members provided advice on issues bought about by the introduction of retail competition and how they approached the resolution of these issues. They also provided case studies that highlighted EWOV's complaint registration, investigation and resolution policies and processes. EOQ staff members found the workshop with our southern counterparts very helpful and informative.