The Victorian and Australian Governments are providing financial relief to households through the Prolonged Power Outage Payment (PPOP) due to the January 2026 bushfire and associated heatwave.

Payments of $2,380 per eligible residential customer are available for each 7-day period without power up to a maximum of 3 payments.

AusNet customers:

You can apply:

• online via the web application
• by phone on 1300 561 171 (Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm).
• in person with AusNet's community engagement team who are available at some local council relief centres.
• See emergency response for further information on where AusNet are located.

Visit claims for information related to food spoilage.

For detailed information, read the guidelines for residential customers on the AusNet website.

Powercor customers:

Eligible customers will be contacted by Powercor via SMS, email or phone and provided with a link to a dedicated page on the Powercor website.

• Once a customer application is completed, customers will be sent a confirmation email with a reference number.
• Payments to approved applicants will be directly deposited into customer bank accounts
• If you believe you are eligible for a PPOP payment but have not received an SMS and link, please contact Powercor on 13 22 06.

If you are eligible, you must make your application by no later than 11.59 pm (AEDT), 31 March 2026.

To receive the payment you must:

• have a residential electricity account that is registered against a National Meter Identification number (NMI) for the relevant electricity distribution network (electricity account holder).
• be an electricity account holder for a property that:
  • lost power due to the severe weather events occurring in Victoria between 7 January and 10 January 2026; and
  • was without power for 7 days.
• have not applied for, or received a PPOP, for the same NMI in relation to the same period.

• Phone: 1300 561 171