Energy company fined $764,000 for revealing addresses of family violence victims to abusers

An Australian energy company has been fined $764,380 after repeatedly revealing the home addresses of family violence victim-survivors to their abusers.

Victoria’s Essential Services Commission fined Momentum Energy for failing to safeguard the confidential information of three customers affected by family violence on 19 occasions between May 2022 and January 2025.

The company disclosed sensitive details of the victims, including current residential addresses, to perpetrators 15 times. It also sent correspondence about payment assistance to addresses that were controlled by or accessible to the abusers.

In one example, a customer disclosed they were a victim of family violence to Momentum in 2022 but was not offered a safe communication method. Momentum continued to send letters to a post office box that the customer had not controlled for two years, and the issue wasn’t investigated until the customer raised it again in 2025.

The commission found that while Momentum Energy identified the breaches themselves in 2023, the company failed to take corrective action for two years – a delay the commission described as unacceptable.

Essential Services Commissioner Gerard Brody stressed that the fine reflects the seriousness of the company’s failure to protect vulnerable customers.

“When a victim-survivor discloses family violence to their retailer, they are placing their trust in that business. They should feel confident that doing so will help keep them safe,” Brody said.

Tania Farha, chief executive of Safe and Equal, a specialist Victorian family violence service, praised the ESC’s work in engaging the water and energy sectors on family violence. She said, however, that the sector was inconsistent, despite many companies working to embed meaningful policies.

“Businesses need to build their capabilities around recognising and responding to family violence – what it can look like, how those signs can present in their specific context and how they can appropriately respond,” she said.

“This includes building a better understanding of the unique ways their service can be weaponised by perpetrators of family violence.

“Things like disclosure training for staff and managers is important, as well as broader training on family violence.”

The fine against Momentum Energy follows a larger penalty issued in January against Origin Energy, which was ordered to pay $1,597,668 for similar systemic failures.

The ESC found that Origin breached protections for 54 customers between June 2021 and March 2024 which included disclosing the confidential information of 16 family violence-affected customers in 21 instances and taking debt recovery action against 38 family violence-affected customers without considering the potential impact on their safety and wellbeing.

A Momentum Energy spokesperson confirmed the company has paid the fine and made changes, including strengthening agent training and processes, to prevent future incidents.

“We are very disappointed that this incident impacted three customers from a particularly vulnerable group,” the spokesperson said, adding that the system error had been fixed, and the company had communicated with the customers involved.

“We take this situation seriously and understand the importance of protecting vulnerable customers.”

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