Neighbourhood Energy fined $22,000 for call breaches

Victorian utility Neighbourhood Energy has the dubious honour of being the first company to be fined for failing to write Do Not Call register compliance into its telemarketing outsourcer contracts.

The utility was fined $22,000 by the Australian Communications and Media Authority after one of its outsourced Australian call centres made telemarketing calls to numbers listed on the register.

Further investigation revealed Neighbourhood had "failed to include an express provision in its contracts with its call centres requiring compliance with the Do Not Call Register Act 2006".

"If you decide to outsource your telemarketing, you should take steps to protect your business by ensuring robust contractual provisions are in place, and through maintaining adequate control and oversight of the outsourced operations," said ACMA chairman Chris Chapman.

The fine followed targeting of the retail energy sector for compliance, the regulator said.