Essential Services Commission

Essential Services Commission An independent regulator that promotes the long-term interests of Victorian consumers with respect to the price, quality and reliability of essential services.

The Essential Services Commission is Victoria’s independent economic regulator that promotes the long term interests of Victorian consumers with respect to the price, quality and reliability of essential services. We regulate Victoria’s energy, water and transport sectors, and administer the rate-capping system for the local government sector. We also regulate the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program, which aims to reduce greenhouse gases by making energy efficiency improvements more affordable for consumers.

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We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands and waterways on which we work and live. We acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and pay our respects to Elders past and present. As the First Peoples of this land, belonging to the world’s oldest living cultures, we recognise and value their knowledge, and ongoing role in shaping and enriching the story of Victoria.

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The Essential Services Commission has a social media presence on Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube to provide information about our work and engage with the community. It is important that our online environments are safe, respectful and constructive places, and remain welcoming and useful to the community. We will not tolerate disrespectful, offensive, crude, hateful or irrelevant comments, or comments that make another person feel unsafe. For more information, please refer to our social media guidelines at https://www.esc.vic.gov.au/about-us/our-policies/our-social-media-guidelines

We’ve released guidance to help 16 Victorian water businesses prepare their price submissions for the 2028 Water Price R...
14/09/2026

We’ve released guidance to help 16 Victorian water businesses prepare their price submissions for the 2028 Water Price Review.

The guidance outlines the commission’s approach to the review and the information water businesses must include in their submissions.

We’ll be looking for good long-term planning; delivering the outcomes customers pay for while keeping costs efficient; and providing fair and inclusive services, including support for customers experiencing vulnerability.

Read our media release: https://www.esc.vic.gov.au/media-centre/regulator-releases-guidance-assist-businesses-water-price-submissions

Read more about the review: https://www.esc.vic.gov.au/water/water-prices-tariffs-and-special-drainage/water-price-reviews/water-price-review-2028

Our Commissioner Rebecca Billings participated in the regulators panel discussion yesterday at the VicWater 2026 Annual ...
11/09/2026

Our Commissioner Rebecca Billings participated in the regulators panel discussion yesterday at the VicWater 2026 Annual Conference 2026.

Rebecca spoke about our upcoming Water Price Review 2028 and opportunities for us and other regulators, government and water businesses to achieve excellence, with a focus on prioritising the long-term interests of Victorian consumers.

Thank you to VicWater and Jo Lim for the opportunity to participate in this important discussion and fellow panelists for their valuable insights:

Dr. Evelyn Wong, Deputy Chief Health Officer, Department of Health
Jocelyn Crawford, Chief Executive Officer, Environment Protection Authority Victoria

We’ve refused Astra Green Solutions Pty Ltd’s application to renew its Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) accreditation, as...
10/09/2026

We’ve refused Astra Green Solutions Pty Ltd’s application to renew its Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) accreditation, as we could not be satisfied the business is competent and capable to be accredited under the VEU program.

We considered Astra Green Solutions’ compliance history in the VEU program and similar schemes when making our decision, including persistent and unresolved consumer complaints about its activities and poor complaint handling.

This included consideration of its past conduct.

Businesses must pass fit and proper and competent and capable checks to be accredited under the VEU program and are required to renew their accreditation each year. These checks help protect consumers and support the integrity of the VEU program.

Read more - https://www.esc.vic.gov.au/media-centre/businesss-accreditation-renewal-rejected-due-past-conduct-energy-efficiency-program

Our inspectors have been out in the field, from Box Hill to the Grampians, checking that heat pump water heater installa...
24/08/2026

Our inspectors have been out in the field, from Box Hill to the Grampians, checking that heat pump water heater installations meet Victorian Energy Upgrades program rules.

We’re doing more inspections than ever this year, and we’ll continue to take strong action against businesses that break the rules.

Cutting corners or claiming work that hasn’t been done isn’t worth the risk.

This work supports our broader compliance and enforcement efforts to protect consumers and strengthen trust, transparency and accountability in the VEU program.

We’ve taken enforcement action against six accredited businesses in 2026 so far, with more under investigation.

Register now for our online public forum next week about our five-yearly inquiry into Port of Melbourne pricing, to hear...
12/08/2026

Register now for our online public forum next week about our five-yearly inquiry into Port of Melbourne pricing, to hear about the commission's role, scope and timeline of the inquiry, and how stakeholders can contribute. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions.

🗓️ Date and time:

Monday, 17 August 2026

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Location: Online via Microsoft Teams

Registration: Please register your attendance by visiting the registration page: 573fd299-eb3f-4694-bcea-27b639f9ef32@5f894de5-5651-487a-aaff-5a8c899b254d" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/573fd299-eb3f-4694-bcea-27b639f9ef32@5f894de5-5651-487a-aaff-5a8c899b254d

Send us your feedback via Engage Victoria https://engage.vic.gov.au/inquiry-into-port-of-melbourne-compliance-with-the-pricing-order-2026 or email to [email protected] by 5:00 PM, 28 August 2026.

For more information, visit our website: https://www.esc.vic.gov.au/transport/port-melbourne/port-melbourne-reviews/port-melbourne-compliance-inquiry-2026

Our Chairperson Gerard Brody participated in a Safety By Design panel discussion yesterday at the Regulatory Conference ...
07/08/2026

Our Chairperson Gerard Brody participated in a Safety By Design panel discussion yesterday at the Regulatory Conference 2026. Gerard spoke about the history and development of family violence provision in our energy and water codes, and our recent compliance, enforcement, and other work in this area.

Thank you to the ACCC, Australian Energy Regulator and Kate Symons for the opportunity to participate in this important discussion, and to fellow panelists for sharing their valuable insights:

David Coombe, General Manager, Customer, Community and Engagement, SA Water
Catherine Fitzpartick, CEO and Founder, Flequity Ventures
Ciara Sterling, CEO and Founder, Thriving Communities Australia

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570 Bourke Street
Melbourne, VIC
3000

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