The Victorian Treasurer announced in September 2018 that the Government will implement key recommendations from the Essential Services Commission’s (ESC) enquiry into timely electricity connections for new residential developments, developed in close consultation with UDIA Victoria.

The measures include a publicly available performance reporting system that will monitor and assess how long electrical companies take to deliver connections and will hold them accountable for poor service standards.
 

Background:
 
This issue is one that has greatly affected the development industry.
 
Government directed the ESC to lead an enquiry into timely electricity connections in May, after UDIA Victoria’s advocacy which demonstrated a consistent failure by electricity distribution companies to meet reasonable timeframes or provide adequate customer service, ultimately hindering the supply of new housing.
 
“Getting our newest communities connected to electricity takes much longer than it should, creating a major blockage in the delivery of much needed housing,” said Danni Addison, CEO of UDIA Victoria.
 
“We commend Government and the ESC for the work they’ve done in partnership with the development industry to identify and address the root cause of the electricity connection delays”.
 
As a result of the enquiry, electricity companies providing power to new residential developments have been asked to sign a Service Improvement Commitment to lift their customer service focus, reduce delays, resource appropriately, improve the auditing process, promote efficient competition, and better manage their technical standards.
 
A Governance Committee, on which UDIA Victoria represent its members, has oversight on the initiatives, provide expert advice, report back to Government on progress and advise on next steps and any additional actions required by government.
 
To read more about this initiative, please see here