The Auditor‐General provides independent assurance to the Parliament of Victoria and the Victorian community on the performance of the state and local government public sectors.
Our performance audits assess whether agencies have effective programs and services and whether they are using their resources economically and efficiently. We also identify activities that work well and reflect better practice.
FIGURE F1: Safety audit program's changes in audit categories
Solar Vic specifies mandatory and recommended requirements for retailers and installers participating in the program. These are outlined in the program's Notice to Market and the approved products lists.
The Notice to Market provides the solar energy industry with a clear overview of the rules and expectations for participation in the program.
The program comprises six separate initiatives. These initiatives, and their eligibility criteria are outlined below.
FIGURE D1: Program initiatives and eligibility criteria
| Initiative | Eligibility criteria |
|---|---|
|
Solar PV panels |
| Who we audited | What we assessed | What the audit cost |
|---|---|---|
|
DELWP |
We assessed whether the Solar Homes Program is enabling Victorian households to control their power bills and reduce carbon emissions: |
| Acronyms | |
|---|---|
| CAV | Consumer Affairs Victoria |
| CEC | Clean Energy Council |
| CES | certificate of electrical safety |
| CRM | customer relationship management |
| DELWP | Department of Environment, Land, Water a |
We have consulted with Solar Vic (DELWP), SusVic and DPC, and we considered their views when reaching our audit conclusions. As required by the Audit Act 1994, we gave a draft copy of this report, or relevant extracts, to those agencies and asked for their submissions and comments.
Responsibility for the accuracy, fairness and balance of those comments rests solely with the agency head.
Solar Vic is not yet able to report to what extent it has reduced consumers' power bills and carbon emissions through this $1.3 billion investment.
This is because, despite the program starting in August 2018, neither DPC nor SusVic developed a monitoring and evaluation framework. Solar Vic completed its MEL framework in December 2020 and finalised its evaluation methodologies in April 2021.
Limited planning and stakeholder consultation for the program adversely affected its delivery.
Poor demand management led to pauses in rebate rollout, which caused workflow issues for the solar industry. The program also began with limited controls to manage safety and quality risks, fraud and grid limitations.