Note: the WA government is consulting on regulations to require alternative electricity services, like Single Property Networks (SPN, also known as embedded networks) and Onsite Power Supply (OPS) arrangements, to register with the Economic Regulation Authority and become members of the Energy and Water Ombudsman. The information below should NOT be taken to apply to alternative electricity services. Updated guidance for OPS and SPN providers will be available closer to regulations coming into force.

Who should join

You must join the Energy and Water Ombudsman if your Western Australian electricity, gas or water licence requires you to be a member of an ombudsman scheme. For electricity and gas industries, this applies when you supply, or intend to supply, ‘small use’ customers as defined in the relevant legislation.

You can contact us before, during, or after your licence application to get more information about what it means to be a member.

Go to the Economic Regulation Authority website for more information about licences.

How to join

Download the Application to Become a Member form.

Contact Marcus Claridge, Principal Assistant Energy and Water Ombudsman at energyandwater@ombudsman.wa.gov.au or on (08) 9220 7588.

Your application will be considered by the governing Board. You will be informed when your application is accepted and the applicable joining fee.

Fees

Under the Constitution, the joining fee is $5,000 or such other amount as determined by the Board. Not-for-profit and community-focused licensees may be eligible for a lower rate.

Ongoing fees are comprised of an annual levy and dispute costs.

• The annual levy is set by the Board and varies based on your number of customers.
• The dispute costs are based on the number of complaints made and the stage the complaints escalated to.

More information about the costs and how they are calculated can be provided to members or prospective applicants.

What membership means

By becoming a member, you become a voting member of the Energy and Water Ombudsman (Western Australia) Limited, a company limited by guarantee.

You have a right to attend General Meetings of the company, vote on the financial report and annual report, and elect industry representatives to the governing Board. There is a balance of industry and customer interests represented on the Board. You can direct any questions about the governance of the Ombudsman to your industry representative director.

For information about how the Energy and Water Ombudsman operates and investigates, contact Marcus Claridge, Principal Assistant Energy and Water Ombudsman at energyandwater@ombudsman.wa.gov.au or on (08) 9220 7588. The Board does not get involved in complaint handling or day-to-day operational matters.

As a member, you agree to abide by the Constitution and Charter of the Energy and Water Ombudsman. This means complying with our requests for information concerning any matter within our jurisdiction. If a complaint cannot be resolve and we believe the complaint is upheld, we can make a decision or direction that is binding on you if the customer accepts it. Failure to comply with the Ombudsman would be a breach of licence.

Keeping your details up to date

Let us know about any changes to your contact details:

• A senior representative for the Company Secretary for General Meeting notices and other formal company correspondence
• Complaint handling contacts for the Energy and Water Ombudsman
• Public contact details for us to publish on our website