#BetterTogether
The #BetterTogether initiatives are collaborative initiatives that focus on delivering tangible customer and community outcomes.
Using the #BetterTogether Innovation Framework of ‘ideate, incubate and accelerate’ they encourage energy businesses, customer and community representatives and other stakeholders to co-design and collaborate with a focus on delivering better customer and community outcomes.
The three types of initiatives
- PRIORITY #BetterTogether initiatives: Endorsed by the Energy Charter CEO Council to deliver strategic priorities for our customers and communities
- #BetterTogether initiatives: Leverage high impact areas for meaningful change with across industry collaboration
- Community of Practice: Opportunity for knowledge sharing and continuous improvement, including through learning with other sectors.
The Energy Charter Principles
The Energy Charter sets out five principles to advance the industry vision. Supporting each principle is commentary which explains its context and relevance to the overall vision. The five principles are:
The five principles do not exist in isolation of each other. At the heart of the principles is Principle One, which relates to the culture of energy businesses and the need to focus on good customer outcomes. This principle underpins the mindset and behaviours required for delivery against the remaining four principles.
Principle 1: We will put customers at the centre of our business and the energy system
Current initiatives
Community of Practice – Know Your Customers + Communities
Drives robust and fit-for-purpose customer, community and stakeholder engagement to shape business culture and decision-making based on the ‘voice of the customer.’ This Community of Practice is a collaboration with the Water Services Association of Australia under a Memo of Understanding.
Community of Practice – First Nations Better Engagement
Led by First Nations leaders in the energy sector, we are focused on better engagement and collaboration with First Nations people – in collaboration with the Water Services Association of Australia under Memo of Understanding.
Delivered
Principle 2: We will improve energy affordability for customers
Current initiatives
#BetterTogether – National Customer Code for Energy Brokers, Consultants and Retailers
The Customer Code improves outcomes for customers, particularly those in commercial and industrial markets, by driving a principles-based National Customer Code for Energy Brokers, Consultants and Retailers, with independent Chair and Administrator. The Code is administered by an Independent Administrator and Code Council with independent Chair.
#BetterTogether – National Customer Code for Energy Comparators, Connections Services and Retailers
The Customer Code raises the standards of practice, strengthens trust and confidence and delivers better outcomes for residential and small business customers through commercial comparators and moving services, as recommended by the ACCC Retail Electricity Pricing Report 2018.
Delivered
Gas Pipeline Information Disclosure
(delivered 2020)
DEIP Access and Pricing Package
(delivered Aug 2021)
Principle 3: We will provide energy safely, sustainably and reliably
Current initiatives
PRIORITY #BetterTogether – Better Practice Social Licence Guideline
The co-design and development of the Better Practice Social Licence Guideline was critical to developing a deeper understanding of:
- The ways electricity transmission infrastructure impacts agricultural landholders and their communities
- The principles that underpin how to build and maintain social licence for landholders and communities affected by transmission developments
- Practical opportunities to minimise impacts and deliver shared value during the planning, construction, operation and decommissioning of transmission infrastructure.
PRIORITY #BetterTogether – Ag + Energy Social Licence Roundtable
The Ag + Energy Social Licence Roundtable is coordination and collaboration platform, which identifies strategic issues at the nexus of energy and agriculture and encourages collaboration across participants.
Applying a social licence lens to all discussions, we identify what’s working and areas for continuous improvement, encouraging and tracking action through our energy and agriculture network.
PRIORITY #BetterTogether – National Landholder Engagement Training
The National Landholder Engagement Training in October 2023 focused on upskilling and supporting those responsible for working directly with impacted landholders in the build of renewable energy assets to help them do their job well, while keeping themselves and landholders physically and emotionally safe.
The next National Landholder Engagement Training will be hosted by Powerlink Queensland in early 2024.
PRIORITY #BetterTogether – Evaluating Transmission Undergrounding
The Evaluating Transmission Undergrounding initiative aims to improve the experience of landholders and communities impacted by the development of new transmission infrastructure by collaborating with community representatives and stakeholders to:
- Validate community concerns, considerations and expectations for how the viability of underground compared to overhead transmission designs should be evaluated by transmission businesses
- Co-develop a shared knowledge and evidence-base, including Better Practice approaches to assessing and evaluating social costs and mitigating impacts
- Identify and address public information and evidence gaps, sources of (dis)information and practice (in)consistencies.
#BetterTogether – Biodiversity
To deliver better outcomes in the intersection between biodiversity and renewable energy infrastructure, and how best to do so collaboratively.
Delivered
Principle 4: We will improve the customer experience
Current initiatives
PRIORITY #BetterTogether – Knock To Stay Connected
The Customer Code Knock to Stay Connected builds on existing #BetterTogether pilots for electricity and gas customers facing disconnection across a number of jurisdictions (NSW, QLD, SA, VIC).
Community of Practice – Resilience
This #BetterTogether initiative was developed to support customers before, during and after a disaster event by co-designing a ‘Disaster Response Playbook’ for the energy sector with clearly defined roles, processes and use of emergency response agency information.
Delivered
Principle 5: We will support customers facing vulnerable circumstances
Current initiatives
PRIORITY #BetterTogether – Cost-of-Living Supports
Increasing cost-of-living pressures are placing greater pressure on energy consumers, particularly those already facing vulnerable circumstances. Through the Cost of Living initiative, the Energy Charter signatories have committed to align action on a range of relief, support and prevention measures (using the PSR Framework developed by the Energy Equity Program of GEER) that assist customers and communities facing vulnerable circumstances as cost-of living pressures rise.
PRIORITY #BetterTogether – “Keep the money. It’s yours” National Concessions Awareness + Engagement Campaign
Research conducted by Melbourne Institute for the Energy Charter suggests that up to 60% of customers are missing out on the energy concessions that they are entitled to. The “Keep the money. It’s yours” initiative was co-developed with community groups nationally to make sure those who are eligible for concessions know they are and know what to do. A variety of targeted channels are being used to reach customers from communities including First Nations, multicultural, older Australians, those with diverse abilities and their carers.
PRIORITY #BetterTogether – Energy Literacy, Train-the-Trainer
The train-the-trainer initiative aims to:
- Address other barriers, such as individual financial management to support the growing demand for in-community financial counsellors with specific cultural or language knowledge
- Partner with different communities facing vulnerability, including First Nations, older Australians, renters, young people and low-income households
PRIORITY #BetterTogether – Uniting Energy Support Program
Based on the findings from our COVID-19 research, the Uniting Energy Support Program was designed to provide ongoing financial counselling support for energy customers who face vulnerability. This includes offering free tailored, one-on-one advice and assistance to help navigate bills, energy efficiency and access to support services. The program targets customers who lack awareness of the supports available to them, and who tend to disengage from their retailers as they build debt due to rising cost-of-living pressures combined with low income and housing affordability challenges.
#BetterTogether – Life Support
Focused on co-designing better support for life support customers based on the recommendations of the Australian Energy Foundation on better support for Life Support Customers funded by Energy Consumers Australia.
Delivered
Bushfire Response
(delivered Feb 2020)
COVID-19 Communications
(delivered Dec 2020)
COVID-19 Customer Vulnerability Research
(delivered Sept 2021)