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Banning telemarketing and doorknocking under the VEU program

The Victorian Government is banning telemarketing and doorknocking under the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program, to protect consumers from high-pressure sales tactics and other inappropriate marketing.

From 1 May 2024, accredited providers and program participants are no longer permitted to use telemarketing to market energy efficient products and services in the VEU program.

From 1 August 2024, accredited providers and program participants are no longer permitted to use doorknocking to market energy efficient products and services in the VEU program.

The Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (Prohibition on Telemarketing and Door-to-door Sales) Regulations 2024 are available to view and/or download from the Victorian Legislation website.

The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) undertook two rounds of public consultation to determine the best option to ban telemarketing and doorknocking under the VEU program. For more information on the consultations, please visit our Engage Victoria webpage.

Under the requirements for the telemarketing and doorknocking bans, accredited providers and program participants cannot:

  • telephone a person, or doorknock at a person’s premises, except in certain circumstances where the person has provided express consent to being telephoned or doorknocked
  • arrange an employee, contractor, or agent to telephone or doorknock a person’s premises, unless the person has provided express consent
  • purchase a person’s contact details from a third party. To be specific, the contact details of a person who had previously expressed interest in a product upgrade under the VEU program, whether that be during, or after the person was either telephoned or doorknocked at their premises.

The Essential Services Commission (ESC), as regulator and administrator of the VEU program, is engaging with VEU accredited providers and installers to ensure they understand their obligations under the ban. The ESC will actively monitor compliance once the ban is in effect through an expanded range of tools and will take strong enforcement action for breaches of the ban. Industry guidance material is available on the ESC website.

Are accredited providers allowed to contact me about the VEU program?

The VEU is a market-based program. As such, it offers incentives for private businesses to undertake energy efficiency upgrades in Victoria.

Once the bans come into effect, these businesses, known as accredited providers, can use a range of methods to contact you about the VEU program, including:

  • digital advertising, for example, texts, emails, social media, websites, search engine optimisation
  • traditional media advertising, for example, radio, television, newspapers, displays
  • direct marketing, for example, stalls, leaflets, brochures, mailers.

Consumers soliciting, requesting or giving their permission to receive a call or a visit about VEU products or services is by definition not a ‘cold-call’ or unwanted door-to-door sale. Solicited marketing is hence permitted under all ban design options, in line with a similar ban on traditional energy retailers.

The restrictions on solicited marketing or sales calls mean that the call must be made within 3 months (or within a timeline specified when the consumer opts-in) and the call cannot be outsourced to third party marketing companies. These restrictions on solicited marketing will ensure consumers who opt-in to a marketing call or doorknock are still protected, in addition to current protections under the VEU Code of Conduct.

Accredited providers are prohibited from making marketing calls and visits to previous or existing customers. The only exceptions to this are if a customer solicits or opts-in to a marketing call or visit (described above) or if there is a product defect or recall (in which case calls are allowed

Accredited providers and their parties must comply with the VEU code of conduct

An accredited provider or a third party acting on their behalf must act in accordance with your rights under the VEU code of conduct.

We treat any reports of non-compliance with the requirements seriously.

How to make a complaint about illegal telemarketing or doorknocking

If you receive a telemarketing call relating to the VEU program from 1 May 2024, or a doorknock from 1 August 2024, please make a complaint to the Essential Services Commission (ESC), who administer and regulate the VEU program.

To contact the ESC:

You can also lodge a complaint with Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV). They are responsible for:

  • handling any issues with Australian Consumer Law
  • dealing with false or misleading claims
  • telemarketing and door knocking standards.

To make a complaint:

Translations

We have translated the Victorian Energy Upgrades consumer rights factsheet into various languages.

Page last updated: 05/08/24