Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about the silent rip-off that's occurring in the energy industry around the country right now, as we speak. I've been made aware by constituents in my electorate of businesses connecting solar panel systems and it then taking four to five months to connect the meters, which allow the customer to collect the feed-in tariff. This means the customer is subsidising the energy company with free electricity until the energy company, at some stage, when it feels like it, gets around to counting the feed-in electricity. This is outrageous. It means that energy companies are stealing money from the consumer. There is absolutely no incentive to pay the customer what they are owed in good faith. Delays benefit the big energy providers.

Mr Craig Kelly interjecting—

Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Member for Hughes!

Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a box of tricks that the energy companies use as a delaying tactic. On top of this, the fine for an energy company misleading consumers is $60,000. What's $60,000? That's a lobbying exercise for an afternoon tea for a company like AGL or Origin. If this occurred in reverse, the consumer would go to jail for stealing electricity. There is no doubt about that. They would be hauled in front of a judge, and it would be treated as stealing. Leon Byner on FIVEaa has been referring consumers to the ombudsman and doing some great work on this. I'd encourage him to continue putting pressure on the energy companies. Leon Byner is a great advocate who often fights injustice and bad policy on behalf of people who don't have a voice.