THE Victorian government is poised to clamp down on aggressive door-to-door salespeople offering free, and sometimes unwanted and unnecessary, showerhead replacements by May 1.<\/p>\n
These salespeople, sometimes presenting themselves in an official capacity similar to a meter reader, have sparked a backlash due to their pushy approach and poor service.<\/p>\n
Some in the community have drawn parallels between their actions and the controversial Home Insulation Program.<\/p>\n
The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) has laid out three policy options to address these aggressive sales practices.<\/p>\n
Option A targets “cold-call” telemarketing, proposing an immediate ban for all consumers and energy upgrades starting May 1, 2024, but allows doorknocking to continue under certain conditions.<\/p>\n
Option B advocates for a more comprehensive ban, eliminating both telemarketing and doorknocking from the program as of May 1, 2024.<\/p>\n
Option C suggests a phased approach to the bans, with telemarketing prohibited from May 1, 2024, and doorknocking cessation delayed until August 1, 2024, allowing for a transitional period for stakeholders to adapt.<\/p>\n
Under the Victorian government’s Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program, Victorians are eligible for up to two water-saving showerheads if their existing showerheads have a high flow rate or a low star rating.<\/p>\n
The free showerheads have proved lucrative for those giving them away.<\/p>\n
Under the existing policy, door-to-door agents earn Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates (VEECs) for each tonne of greenhouse gas savings from these upgrades.<\/p>\n
As of late December 2023, the market value for each VEEC was $90.50.<\/p>\n
According to the VEEC website, installing two showerheads can result in earning three VEECs, translating to around $271.50.<\/p>\n
To date, 810,397 homes and business have had showerheads replaced resulting in the issuing of 1,964,988 VEECs.<\/p>\n
Several companies and individuals have made submissions to the consultation process.<\/p>\n
In the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) submission, general manager of the content and consumer division Cathy Rainsford said the tougher laws couldn’t be implemented fast enough.<\/p>\n
“Given the growing evidence indicating harm to consumers in relation to the VEU, the ACMA supports the propose ban on telemarketing coming into effect as soon as possible.”<\/p>\n
In June 2023, the Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio announced her intention to implement a ban high-risk forms of unsolicited marketing under the VEU program.<\/p>\n
The present stage, the second round of consultation, opened on February 19, and will close on March 18.<\/p>\n
Feedback will be reviewed and a response to the consultation released between March and April.<\/p>\n
The implementation of the ban is set for May 1.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE Victorian government is poised to clamp down on aggressive door-to-door salespeople offering free, and sometimes unwanted and unnecessary, showerhead replacements by May 1. These salespeople, sometimes presenting themselves in an official capacity similar to a meter reader, have sparked a backlash due to their pushy approach and poor service. Some in the community have […]<\/p>\n