The Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland (EWOQ) is a free, fair and independent dispute resolution service for unresolved complaints with your electricity, gas or water supplier. Before you contact EWOQ with your complaint, you must first try to resolve the problem with your electricty, gas or water company.
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Advisory Council

Advisory Council

The Energy and Water Ombudsman Advisory Council provides expert advice to the Minister for Energy and Water Supply and the Energy and Water Ombudsman on the effective and efficient conduct and operation of the Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland scheme. This helps to ensure the scheme is administered in a manner which is fair and just to energy and water customers and suppliers.

The Advisory Council’s functions are to:

  • monitor the Ombudsman's independence
  • advise the Ombudsman on policy and procedural issues relating to the Act
  • advise the Ombudsman on the operation of the Act for customers
  • advise the Ombudsman on the preparation of budgets, budget guidelines and the Annual Report
  • advise the Minister responsible for energy and water on the funding of the Ombudsman's functions, and
  • at the end of the financial year, advise the Minister on the Ombudsman's independence and functions of the office during the financial year.

Chairs and members of government bodies provide a significant contribution to the community through their participation on these bodies. Where appropriate, remuneration is a way to acknowledge this contribution and to recognise that good corporate governance of these bodies results in sustained and long-term value for Queensland. However, there is also an element of community service and the Government does not consider it necessary to remunerate the membership of all government bodies. The Remuneration Procedures apply for the purposes of determining remuneration for all part-time chairs and members of Queensland Government bodies.

 

Advisory Council Code of Conduct

Developed by the Council, and consistent with the Public Sector Ethics Act 1994, this Code of Conduct aims to assist members to discharge their responsibilities under the Act in the 'right way'. It is not a prescriptive Code, but one which contains ethics principles and values which Council members have agreed to put into practice.

 

Advisory Council Handbook

The EWOQ Advisory Council Handbook outlines the roles and responsibilities of the Advisory Council.

 

Advisory Council members

The advisory council consists of a chairperson and at least 6 other members appointed by the Minister.

The chairperson must be independent of the interests of scheme participants or non-entity parties.

The other members must consist of:

  • members drawn from scheme participants who represent the interests of scheme participants (industry members)
  • an equal number of members drawn from groups who represent the interests of non-entity parties (consumer members).

 

Member Position
Anna Moynihan Chairperson
Ian Jarratt Consumer representative - Queensland Consumers' Association
Laura Barnes Consumer representative - Queensland Council of Social Services
Mary McLean Consumer representative - Financial Counselling of Australia
Robyn Robinson Consumer representative - Queensland Council of the Aging
Andrew Bills Industry representative - Origin
Simone Bridge Industry representative - Unitywater
Jennifer Gates Industry representative - Ergon
Iain Graham Industry representative - Red Energy and Lumo Energy
Rosemarie Price Industry representative - Ergon Energy Retail

Advisory Council Secretariat: ph 07 3087 9452