The Australian Energy Regulator has launched court proceedings against Origin Energy (ASX:ORG) over alleged breaches of rules governing payments from customers using the government bill-paying service Centrepay.
The regulator said four Origin subsidiaries may have committed more than 77,000 breaches affecting over 3,400 electricity and gas consumers between December 2019 and March 2025, retaining more than $2.5 million in payments, including one customer reportedly overcharged by more than $11,000 over nearly two years.
AER Chair Clare Savage described the scale and duration of the alleged misconduct as "particularly concerning," noting that Origin allegedly continued to accept payments from customers who had closed their accounts and failed to refund overpayments within the required timeframe, despite being aware of the issues as early as 2017.
The case follows a referral from Services Australia and comes amid similar cases, including Alinta Energy, which has paid nearly $1.1 million in penalties, and AGL, which was fined $25 million and is appealing.