This handbook serves as a practical guide to help energy and water businesses assess and strengthen their response to family violence. It reflects deepening understanding about family violence risk in essential services, including the importance of taking a Safety by Design approach – a framework to anticipate, detect and eliminate harm before it occurs.

Nine years ago, the Royal Commission into Family Violence in Victoria tasked the Essential Services Commission with creating regulatory protections for utility customers affected by family violence. This paper outlines how an essential services safety by design framework can be applied to identify and mitigate safety risks related to domestic and financial abuse.

This report aims to provide consumers with information about the energy market that would promote effective competition, to achieve the best outcomes for Victorian energy consumers.

The Essential Services Commission promotes protections for consumers experiencing vulnerability and supports access to regulated essential services for all Victorian consumers. A key objective of the commission is breaking down the barriers consumers can face when seeking information and assistance.

This project aims to provide evidence-based guidance about how the Essential Services Commission and essential providers engage with the customer vulnerability of victim survivors of family violence.