How do I complain to the energy ombudsman in my state?
Which energy and water ombudsman covers each state and territory, when you can lodge, what it can order, and how long it takes.
Lodge online or by phone with your state's energy and water ombudsman once your retailer has had a fair chance to fix the problem. It is free and it can make a decision that binds the retailer: up to $100,000 in NSW and Victoria, $20,000 in Queensland, WA and Tasmania, or $50,000 if the retailer agrees. Lodge within 12 months in most states; in the ACT the tribunal, ACAT, is the ombudsman.
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Can the energy ombudsman take your complaint?
Yes, if your retailer or distributor has had a chance to fix it and has not. Every ombudsman scheme is free, independent and can make a decision the provider must follow if you accept it.
Under section 86 of the National Energy Retail Law, every authorised retailer and distributor in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT must belong to the energy ombudsman scheme in each state where it sells energy. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) enforces that law but does not resolve individual disputes. Victoria and Western Australia run their own licence rules with the same effect.
You must complain to your provider first. Every scheme will send you back if you have not.
Which scheme you use depends on where the property is:
- NSW: Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW (EWON), ewon.com.au, 1800 246 545. Binding decisions up to $100,000.
- Victoria: Energy and Water Ombudsman (Victoria) (EWOV), ewov.com.au, 1800 500 509. Binding decisions up to $100,000; lodge within 1 year of discovering the issue.
- Queensland: Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland (EWOQ), ewoq.com.au, 1800 662 837. Final orders up to $20,000, or $50,000 if all parties agree (Energy and Water Ombudsman Act 2006, section 37); lodge within 12 months (section 19A).
- South Australia: Energy & Water Ombudsman SA (EWOSA), ewosa.com.au, 1800 665 565. Can make a binding decision; if you reject it you are free to go to a tribunal or court.
- Tasmania: Energy Ombudsman Tasmania, energyombudsman.tas.gov.au. Awards up to $20,000, or $50,000 if the energy entity agrees; lodge within 2 years (Energy Ombudsman Act 1998, sections 10 and 23).
- ACT: there is no ombudsman. The ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT) does the job under the Utilities Act 2000, acat.act.gov.au, (02) 6207 1740. No fee, compensation up to $25,000, and it can order supply restored.
- Western Australia: Energy and Water Ombudsman WA, energyandwater.ombudsman.wa.gov.au. Binding decisions up to $20,000, or $50,000 with the provider's agreement; usually within 12 months. It cannot take embedded network complaints until late 2027.
- Northern Territory: Ombudsman NT, ombudsman.nt.gov.au, 1800 806 380, for Jacana Energy and Power and Water. For Rimfire Energy, gas suppliers and embedded networks, NT Consumer Affairs on 1800 019 319.
The schemes cover distributors (outages, meters, poles and wires) as well as retailers, so complain to the right one first. They cannot rule on the price of energy or government policy, only on whether the provider followed the rules.
Two limits rose recently. EWON lifted its binding decision limit from $40,000 to $100,000 to match the NSW tribunal limit, and EWOV's Charter published 18 November 2025 sets $100,000 for most complaints ($20,000 for guaranteed service level claims under the Electricity Distribution Code of Practice). In Western Australia, the law is being changed so the Energy and Water Ombudsman can take embedded network complaints, but not until late 2027; until then caravan park and apartment network customers there have no scheme.
What should you do before you lodge?
Step 1: Check the retailer has had its chance
Find your complaint reference and the retailer's written response. If you only phoned, note the date, the person's name and what was said. The checklist of what to put in a retailer complaint is on making a complaint to your energy retailer.
Keep paying any part of the bill you do not dispute. EWON and EWOQ may close a case if you stop paying altogether.
Step 2: Ask in writing and set a deadline
Send the retailer one final message so the file shows you gave it a fair chance. Use its published complaints email or form.
Subject: Final request before ombudsman complaint, account [number], complaint reference [reference]
I raised this complaint on [date]. The problem is [one sentence]. The outcome I want is [refund of $amount / corrected bill / reconnection / written apology].
Section 82 of the National Energy Retail Law requires you to handle my complaint under your published procedure and tell me the outcome and your reasons. [In Victoria: clause 14 of the Energy Retail Code of Practice.]
If I do not have a written resolution within 5 business days of this email, I will lodge with [EWON / EWOV / EWOQ / EWOSA / Energy Ombudsman Tasmania / ACAT / Energy and Water Ombudsman WA / Ombudsman NT].
Step 3: Lodge with the scheme
Use the online form or call. EWON asks for your contact details, the provider's name, a short account of what happened in order, and what you want done. For a high bill, say which bill, whether the read was actual or estimated, and why you think it is wrong. Attach bills, letters and emails.
If you have been disconnected or a disconnection is threatened, phone rather than use the form. EWON, EWOQ and EWOSA treat these as urgent, and EWOSA expects same-day reconnection where applicable.
Step 4: Know what happens next
Most schemes first refer you to a senior person at the provider. At EWOV the company has 3 business days to contact you and 15 business days to resolve it; at EWON, EWOQ and ACAT it must contact you within 5 business days; in WA the provider gets 10 business days. If that fails, the scheme investigates. Once it does, deal with the scheme, not the provider.
What if the ombudsman cannot help, or you disagree with it?
The schemes resolve most cases by agreement, and they publish how long that takes: EWOV says most complaints are resolved within 28 days, EWOQ says an investigation usually takes about 20 business days, and EWON says most investigations are resolved within 45 days, with complex cases longer. If you are still not satisfied, work through these in order.
- Ask for a review of the scheme's handling. Each scheme reviews its own work. At EWON you must ask in writing within 28 days of your case closure letter and give a reason, such as new information or a mistake. In WA, talk to your case officer first, then ask for a review. Free.
- Reject a binding decision and go elsewhere. A decision only binds the provider if you accept it. If you reject it, EWOSA notes the provider is released and you can pursue the matter in a tribunal or court. Claims above the scheme's limit go the same way.
- Report the breach to the regulator. The AER (NSW, Qld, SA, Tas, ACT), the Essential Services Commission (Victoria) and the Economic Regulation Authority (WA) do not fix individual complaints, but they enforce the rules and the WA ombudsman reports licence breaches to the ERA. A report adds weight if the provider is doing the same thing to many customers.
- Use the consumer regulator for non-energy problems. Solar installers, appliance sellers and tradespeople sit outside the schemes. EWOV points Victorians to Consumer Affairs Victoria; in WA the Consumer Protection advice line is 1300 30 40 54. Elsewhere it is your state Fair Trading office.
- Tribunal. Your state civil and administrative tribunal hears consumer claims the scheme has declined or that exceed its limit. Lodgement fees and limits vary by state; check before you file, because a scheme cannot take a matter already before a tribunal.
If a retailer refused a payment plan or disconnected you, see what to do if you're behind on your energy bill.
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What doesn't work
- Going to the ombudsman first. Every scheme sends you back to the provider, and the clock starts again.
- Lodging with the wrong scheme. Only the scheme for the state where the property is can act; EWOV, for example, cannot take complaints from outside Victoria.
- Waiting more than a year. EWOV, EWOQ and the WA scheme generally will not look at issues you knew about more than 12 months ago.
- Stopping all payments. Pay the undisputed part and new bills; EWON may close an investigation if you refuse to pay anything.
- Contacting the provider behind the scheme's back. Once an investigation starts, EWON asks that all contact go through it so the file stays clear.
- Asking it to fix the price. No scheme can change tariffs or government policy.
Common questions
Do I have to complain to my retailer first, and how long should I wait?
Yes, every scheme requires it. None sets a fixed waiting period, so give the retailer a written deadline of 5 to 10 business days and lodge the day it passes. If you have been disconnected, phone the scheme straight away instead of waiting.
Can the ombudsman stop my power being disconnected?
Yes. Under rule 116 of the National Energy Retail Rules a retailer must not disconnect while a related complaint is open with the ombudsman, and the WA scheme says the same. Call rather than lodge online, and tell the scheme a disconnection is threatened or has happened.
Does it cost anything to use the energy ombudsman?
No. Every scheme is free for residential and small business customers, and there is no fee for an energy and water complaint at ACAT. The schemes are funded by the energy companies, which pay a fee for each complaint raised against them.
Can I complain about my distributor, a blackout or a meter?
Yes. Distributors are members of the schemes too, so outages, supply quality, meter faults and poles and wires are all covered. Complain to the distributor first, then to the scheme. Damage claims usually need the distributor's own claim process completed first.
I live in an embedded network or caravan park. Can I still use the ombudsman?
It depends on the state. EWOQ, EWOV and EWON take embedded network complaints, and EWOQ will investigate directly if the operator has no senior contact. The WA scheme cannot until late 2027. In the NT, embedded network billing goes to NT Consumer Affairs.
What if I am not happy with the ombudsman's decision?
You can ask the scheme to review its handling, at EWON within 28 days of the closure letter. A decision only binds the provider if you accept it, so you can reject it and take the claim to a tribunal or court instead.
- Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW, Making a complaint to EWON
- Energy and Water Ombudsman (Victoria), Start an energy and water complaint
- Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland, Complaints process
- Economic Regulation Authority WA, Complaints and service standards
- ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal, Energy and water cases
- Utilities Commission of the Northern Territory, Complaints: useful links
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