Customers
Financial Inclusion Action Plan (FIAP) progress update
All but two of AGL's commitments under the Financial Inclusion Action Plan were delivered. Those not delivered related to subcomponents of broader strategies which remain on track - supporting employees experiencing financial difficulty and progressing a diverse and inclusive workforce leveraging specific recruitment strategies.
Committed Action Statement | Output | Outcome | Timeframe | FY19 Actions Taken |
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Continue to evolve products and pricing to address the financial circumstances of all AGL customers. | A broad suite of products and pricing tailored to different financial situations. | Customers have greater choice in products and can select those that best meet their individual needs. | Ongoing | Throughout 2018 and 2019 AGL has continued to evolve its products and pricing while maintaining a focus on innovation as well as customers vulnerable to increasing energy costs. For these customers, product and pricing developments have included: |
Increase transparency and simplify products and pricing. | Products and the associated pricing are easier to understand and easier to compare. | Customers can make more informed decisions about the products they select. | Ongoing | AGL expanded our ‘Essentials’ product to all states in July 2018 after first trialling the concept in Victoria in January 2018. AGL Essentials is a simple 12-month fixed low-rate, no discount energy plan. Essentials was iterated throughout 2018 to simplify the proposition further by removing mandatory conditional elements of the offer, making the proposition more appealing to a wider audience. Essentials Plus, introduced in January 2019, builds on the Essentials product by including bonus credits paid to the customer every six months to recognise loyalty. |
Provide tailored payment plan solutions and research a formal debt relief and payment incentive model for customers experiencing payment difficulties. | A revised payment arrangement framework. | Vulnerable customers have a reliable framework in which they can partner with AGL to reduce their energy debt and get back on track. | September 2018 | After an initial launch in late January in Western Australia, 'Pay My Way' was rolled out across all states in May 2018 with over 4,000 customers having taken it up. This service allows customers to make regular weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments towards their bills. The instalment amounts are of the customer's choosing provided the balance is paid by the bill due. This new service is additional to existing flexible payment options for customers, such as bill smoothing, monthly billing and tailored payment plans established through participation on AGL's hardship program Staying Connected. |
Continue to provide solutions to enable customers to be more engaged with their energy. | Implement Energy Insights. | Customers are more empowered to engage with and manage their energy costs. | June 2018 | In May 2018 AGL launched Energy Insights, a tool designed to enable customers with smart meters to take more control over their energy use. Customers receive a personalised email which breaks down energy use into categories such as heating/cooling, standby and hot water, explains the cost associated with each and provides relevant energy efficiency advice. |
Committed Action Statement | Output | Outcome | Timeframe | FY19 Actions Taken |
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Make it easier for customers to access support. | Deliver a new online portal housing Concessions and Grants information to educate and link customers to support. | Customers are more educated and can easily access a broad range of support options. | April 2018 | AGL launched Here to Help in 2018, with further improvements being made to the portal throughout the year based on customer feedback and testing. |
Provide training to all front-line people to ensure needs-based conversations are happening with all customers. | All AGL people have received training. | Frontline staff are better equipped to have personalised conversations and provide personalised outcomes for customers. | December 2018 | Throughout 2018 and 2019, AGL has continued to include needs-based training as part of its training for all front-line staff. |
Continued promotion of AGL’s Family | Continue to promote the AGL Family and Domestic Violence Support policy including access to 10 paid leave days to impacted people, offer training and awareness sessions to all people including introduction of a new Domestic Violence Hotline through the Employee Assistance Program. | AGL people impacted by family violence are provided with additional leave provisions and continued employment whilst working through their situation. Our people will be offered training to raise awareness, to change behaviours and attitudes towards this issue, to continue to foster an environment where people feel safe to speak up and ask for help, and to ensure we can recognise the signs of someone who may need support and confidently respond in a caring and inclusive way. | December 2018 | AGL's Safe Space - Family and Domestic Violence Training for people leaders and separate session for employees was offered to people across AGL in 2018. In total, approximately 1,500 employees across AGL sites have attended Safe Space Training in the last 12 months. A Domestic Violence Hotline has also been introduced through the Employee Assistance Program. Front-line staff also receive specific training on AGL's Family and Domestic Violence policy to support customers. |
Committed Action Statement | Output | Outcome | Timeframe | FY19 Actions Taken |
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Advocate for support measures which deliver an adequate social safety net for all Australians. | Regulatory and policy submissions focus on economic inclusion and call out the need for an increase in adequate social security. | Inadequacies continue to be highlighted and more attention is brought to the issue. | Ongoing | In January 2019, a research paper by members of AGL's applied economics and policy team (The drivers of energy-related financial hardship in Australia) was published in the journal Energy Policy. Among other things, this research highlighted the current inadequacy of social safety nets and the need to review and reform the mechanism for setting the rate of social payments. Other recommendations included the ongoing pursuit of energy concessions reform and addressing barriers to energy efficiency improvements in low income and tenanted properties. |
Contribute to the wellbeing of our people experiencing financial stress. | Investigate the provision of a hardship grant for our people experiencing financial hardship. | A proposed grant framework intended to support our people in reaching financial stability. | December 2018 | Investigation of a grant framework is no longer planned. AGL supports financial inclusion and resilience amongst its employees through a number of avenues, including: |
Continue to participate as a member of the Australian Veterans Employment Coalition. | A specialised recruitment process for veterans. | Veterans are more likely to be successfully employed in the private sector. | Ongoing | AGL’s Diversity and Inclusion strategy has been refreshed and our commitments as part of the FIAP have been aligned to the focus areas for FY19/20: |
Continue to promote policies and practices which seek to overcome the barriers experienced by diverse communities. | Increased promotion and the continued evolution of AGL diversity programs such as the Equality Program, Shine and NAIDOC. | AGL people are more aware and have increased confidence to bring their true self to work and achieve their full potential, bridging the gap to financial inclusion. | Ongoing | AGL's diversity and inclusion programs continued to be strongly promoted during 2018/19. This included International Women's Day 2019 celebrations and increased focus for women and girls to consider career pathways in STEM, hosting events with STEM Sisters and Robogirls. |
Committed Action Statement | Output | Outcome | Timeframe | FY19 Actions Taken |
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Advocate for policy and regulatory frameworks that do not result in social and economic exclusion, both within and outside of the energy sector. | Submissions into regulatory and policy changes that focus on financial inclusion. | Regulation and policy that results in financial inclusion. | Reviewed annually | In addition to the published research discussed above (The Drivers of Energy Related Financial Hardship), AGL has continued to contribute to discussion on question related to social and economic inclusion. |
Design processes to support the sustainability of our small business partners in local communities. | Change the accounts payable process to reduce payment timeframes for local suppliers. | Healthier cash flow for suppliers through processes that meet their operational needs. | June 2018 | AGL is a signatory to the small business supplier payment code. The code is a voluntary initiative to ensure small business suppliers are paid promptly and on time. The code commits signatories to: |
Support and identify the local businesses likely to be impacted by AGL transitioning away from the community. | A segmentation model which highlights the local businesses which are most vulnerable to the change. | Local businesses who will require support are identified and in future, a mitigation plan can be designed to support businesses through the transition. | December 2018 | This action was focussed on supporting the community in the Latrobe Valley. AGL, in partnership with Federation University, developed the Enterprise Development Program, a free business development course offered to local vendors vulnerable to change following the closure of Hazelwood and the transition of the local economy away from coal. A segmentation model was developed including an application form and evaluation scorecard. |
Where AGL is transitioning out of local communities such as Latrobe Valley and Hunter Valley, we will contribute to the sustainability of the local economy. | Evolve and implement the Transition Plans for the Hunter Valley and Latrobe Valley and ensure coverage across: | Local economies are better equipped and less impacted by AGL’s transition away from the community. | Ongoing | AGL has developed and continues to evolve a Transition Plan to support our transition away from coal in the Hunter Valley and the Latrobe Valley. This plan includes organisational commitments and specific frameworks and activities designed to support local communities. This Transition Plan will be dynamic and will continue to develop as our knowledge, experience, and partnerships develop and be guided by community needs. |