The Victorian Local Governance Association has raised a string of concerns with the Essential Services Commission’s (ESC) rate capping plan.

The VLGA says it welcomed the opportunity to provide feedback on the 11 draft recommendations for the rate capping and variations framework by the ESC, but it has some serious worries.

The submission features seven key points:

  • The cost of administrating the rate capping framework by the ESC must be borne entirely by the State Government
  • The level of the proposed rate cap is a serious concern to our members
  • The specific efficiency factor should be dropped
  • The variation process is unclear and document heavy
  • An appeal and review process for rejected variation applications is required
  • Key timelines for the rate cap framework must be reconsidered
  • The value of the ESC’s monitoring and reporting function is unclear

The full submission is available in PDF form, here.