Supporting Tasmanians experiencing domestic violence

Aurora Energy has today announced further protections for its customers, launching a family and domestic violence policy.

The policy is designed to support Tasmanians experiencing domestic violence, including family violence and elder abuse resulting in energy affordability issues.

CEO Nigel Clark said Aurora was passionate about providing quality services and support to all our customers, particularly when they need it most.

“Our nationally-recognised Your Energy Support program has been lending a hand to those in need for almost a decade,” Mr Clark said.

“This commitment to supporting our customers experiencing vulnerable circumstances is reinforced by the voluntary establishment of a family and domestic violence policy to support customers impacted in these types of situations.”

Mr Clark said training will be rolled out to frontline staff, including how to identify customers experiencing family and domestic violence and the treatment of immediate risk scenarios.

Aurora utilised input and feedback from stakeholders, including from customer advocates such as Anglicare and Council of the Ageing Tasmania, over the past year to help inform the development of the policy. This involved dedicated workshops aimed at laying the foundations of the policy as well as focusing on the design of the referral process.

Anglicare CEO Dr Chris Jones said Anglicare was pleased to contribute to the development of the new policy. This included providing advice and training about the various forms of violence, including coercive control, and how to refer customers to services that can support them to rebuild their lives.

“Anglicare and Aurora have worked collaboratively for many years to assist customers in financial hardship,” Dr Jones said.

“We know that family violence and elder abuse adds another layer of difficulty for Tasmanians who are already struggling to afford essentials such as power bill payments. We commend Aurora for making special provisions for individuals and families in these circumstances.”

The policy has been developed independent from and in advance of the work undertaken by the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) that is intended to come into effect in May 2023. In fact, Aurora’s policy exceeds the protections for energy customers affected by family violence outlined in the AEMC’s rule change.