By Callum Godde in Melbourne

Human error has been blamed after a major energy retailer shared family violence victims’ private details without their consent and came calling for unpaid power bills.

Origin Energy has coughed up $1.6 million after it was served penalty notices by the Essential Services Commission for breaching rules designed to protect the vulnerable cohort.

Between June 2021 and March 2024, Origin disclosed confidential information of 16 family violence-affected customers without their consent 21 times and took debt recovery action against another 38 without considering the potential impact.

Energy retailers must not disclose a customer’s information to third parties without consent and are required to consider the potential impact of debt recovery on those customers under Victorian rules.

In a statement, the ASX-listed company apologised to customers for not meeting its regulatory obligations.

“We self-reported the breaches to the Essential Services Commission, co-operated with the investigation and have taken significant steps to improve our processes and procedures,” an Origin spokesman said on Wednesday.

“These breaches largely occurred due to human error.”

Customer service staff have since completed refresher training to reduce the risk of human error and more breaches, while customers caught up in debt collection breaches received an apology and “substantial remediation”, including waiving their outstanding debts.

Origin’s conduct was disappointing and highlighted the need for a continued focus on supporting family violence victims, commission chair Gerard Brody said.

“Energy and water businesses are legally obliged to protect customer information, ensure access to payment assistance, and provide customers with connections to specialist family violence services,” he said.

“The vast majority do.”