Vulnerable Customers Overcharged $2.3 Million by State Power Utility, Even After Closing Accounts

Nearly 3,000 Centrelink customers were overcharged for electricity over a 15-year period.

High voltage electricity transmission towers are seen at Warabrook in Australia, on March 24, 2025. Roni Bintang/Getty Images

Western Australia’s (WA) state-owned electricity provider, Synergy, has been found to have overcharged 2,845 vulnerable customers over more than 10 years, the state’s economic regulator found.

According to a report released by the Economic Regulation Authority (ERA), Synergy continued to collect electricity bill payments from Centrelink recipients via Centrepay, even after those customers had closed their power accounts.