Discussing how strengths and limitations of the Home Energy Emergency Assistance Scheme (HEEAS) for the people who need it, the organisations who support those people and the companies who implement it.
Situation Explained
The HEEAS is a Queensland Government energy concession that provides cost-of-living support to people who are having trouble paying their energy bill. The scheme supports people who are experiencing severe financial hardship due to an unforeseen emergency or a short-term financial crisis.
LPC worked with the Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland (EWOQ) office to gather information and evidence from stakeholders about concerns with the HEEAS, the challenges for various users of the program, and recommendations to resolve these challenges and concerns. The intention was for the engagement outputs to inform the Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland (EWOQ) Office’s recommendations to the Queensland Treasury to improve the HEEAS.
Our Approach
We worked closely with the EWOQ Office to design an engagement process that captured practical, evidence-based feedback from people with direct experience of HEEAS.
Our approach included:
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Two facilitated three-hour workshops. One in person with consumer support organisations and peak bodies, and one online with energy industry representatives.
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Interviews with consumer support organisations unable to attend a workshop.
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An online survey for consumer support organisations and peak bodies.
Across every activity, we focused on three topics: what was working, what was not, and what could be improved. The workshops also gave participants the opportunity to test and refine their ideas into practical recommendations.
Results
The engagement revealed strong alignment between different groups on key issues, and a clear set of opportunities for improvement.
Participants identified and shared:
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Operational process improvements
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Equity, accessibility and holistic-support concerns
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Lived-experience insights, examples and stories.
LPC synthesised this feedback into a report for the EWOQ Office. It captured the insights, highlighted shared priorities and set out recommendations to inform their advice to Queensland Treasury about improvements for the HEEAS.