HelpPay welcomes AEMC’s new domestic violence rules
HelpPay welcomes the new rules laid out by the Australian Energy Market Commission enabling energy retailers to do more for victim survivors of family and domestic violence.
Media Release Dated: 14 September 2022
HelpPay, a new social fintech that takes the stigma out of asking for help, welcomes the Australian Energy Market Commission’s (AEMC) new rules governing the handling of domestic violence as a big step forward for the industry.
The Australian fintech, which helps anyone, including victims of financial abuse, keep the lights on, would also like to congratulate Red Energy for starting this discussion and encouraging the Australian energy industry to go even further to ensure domestic violence survivors avoid debt traps altogether.
The AEMC’s ruling has dramatically lifted protections for domestic violence victims when it comes to paying their energy bills. The new rules increase protections for survivors by requiring energy retailers to safeguard personal details, build staff awareness around domestic violence survivors, provide a secure process to identify affected customers and ditch any requirement to provide evidence of abuse.
The measures will also recognise domestic violence as a form of hardship, which will mean survivors get the same payment options, such as bill extensions and payment plans, as others experiencing financial hardship.
The breakthrough comes after the AEMC consulted with industry on how these rules should be shaped, which included an industry workshop in March that HelpPay participated in.
HelpPay is an Australian fintech that turns every bill into a shareable link and payment page and uniquely, guarantees financial help given towards a bill only goes to the provider. The 100% Australian owned company's world-first technology takes the stigma out of asking for help and avoids the financial and mental health costs associated with debt collection.
While HelpPay is thrilled at this progress, we think there is room for further improvements to prevent victims falling into debt.
For instance, HelpPay is concerned that the existing payment support programs for customers affected by family violence continue to allow victims to get into debt and that all existing solutions require access to personal bank accounts which due to the intertwined nature of domestic violence and financial abuse may not be possible.
HelpPay also welcomes the ability for energy retailers to create family and domestic violence policies and procedures that prevail even when in conflict with other obligations, freeing them up to work in the best interests of customers.
HelpPay continues to advocate and support further research being conducted through multiple avenues including cross industry workshops or direct inquiries by the AEMC or the Australian Energy Regulator to ensure best practice financial support for customers affected by family violence.
Quick facts
In March 2016, the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence concluded that essential services play a critical role in people’s lives that can be exploited by perpetrators to inflict economic abuse.
In 2020, the Australian Energy Regulator commissioned the Exploring regulatory approaches to consumer vulnerability report from the Consumer Policy Research Centre. But asked if rising levels of inequality “including the decline of home ownership and the growth of renting, significant increases in household debt,” have exacerbated the problem.
The Red Energy rule change request to the AEMC has four main components; safe, supportive and flexible assistance for personal and financial security; publicly available family violence policies; protecting contact information of family violence victims; and recognising family violence is a potential cause of payment difficulty.
HelpPay Co-Founder and Managing Director Andrew Ellett said, “We’d like to congratulate the Australian Energy Market Commission and the Australian energy industry for embracing this cause so strongly and delivering more protections to those that need it most. We would also like to thank Red Energy for starting this conversation, credit where credit is due. HelpPay would also encourage industry to think about further protections for domestic violence survivors when it comes to keeping them out of debt. Some of the cases we work with would still be in financial difficulty if it weren’t for our technology.”
Media Contact
Alexander Liddington-Cox
0474 701 469
About HelpPay
HelpPay, a 100% Australian owned company, is a new social fintech and business platform with patent pending technology in the payments industry that takes the stigma out of asking for help and the effort of providing help. HelpPay turns every bill into a shareable link and payment page, and, uniquely, guarantees financial help given towards a bill only goes to the provider. HelpPay has undertaken market research to address the pain points for customers and providers when handling debt. HelpPay takes all the pain points and customers' experience in the cycle of asking, giving and getting financial help today. HelpPay is also significantly cheaper for providers when managing their accounts receivable and less stressful for customers than traditional methods such as phone calls, sending letters and using debt collection agencies.
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About HelpPay
HelpPay, a 100% Australian owned company, is a new social fintech and business platform with patent pending technology in the payments industry that takes the stigma out of asking for help and the effort of providing help. HelpPay turns every bill into a shareable link and payment page, and, uniquely, guarantees financial help given towards a bill only goes to the provider. HelpPay has undertaken market research to address customers and providers when handling debt.
HelpPay takes all the pain points and customers' experience in the cycle of asking, giving and getting financial help today. HelpPay is also significantly cheaper for providers when managing their accounts receivable and less stressful for customers than traditional methods such as phone calls, sending letters and using debt collection agencies.
