Introduction
Prolonged Power Outage Payment applications are now open.
Purpose
The Victorian and Australian Governments are providing financial relief to households and businesses through the Prolonged Power Outage Payment (PPOP) following the heatwave, bushfire, and wind events that occurred in Victoria from 7-10 January 2026.
The Prolonged Power Outage Payment will give eligible households $2,380 per week for up to three weeks and $3,088 per week for up to three weeks for eligible businesses. These payments are made via direct bank transfer each week depending on the number of days a property is without power, rather than a lump sum.
Payments are for each cumulative 7-day period per electricity account holder, up to a maximum of 3 payments. The overall time without power does not need to be a continuous 7-day period, as long as the days without power add up to 7 days.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the payment, residential customers must:
- have a residential electricity account with a national meter identification number (NMI) within the AusNet electricity distribution network
- be electricity account holder of a property that lost power due to the severe weather events in Victoria between 7 January and 10 January 2026 and was without power for 7 cumulative days
- not have already received a Prolonged Power Outage Payment for the same electricity account
- have applied via AusNet's online form, no later than 11.59 pm (AEDT) on 31 March 2026.
To be eligible for the payment, a business must:
*Where a business is in a payroll group, the payroll eligibility criteria applies to each business in the payroll group. That is, any member of a group with an annual Victorian taxable payroll of up to $10 million in 2024-25 can apply.
As part of the assessment process, any information provided by applicants will be shared and subject to verification with other government agencies including the Victorian State Revenue Office, WorkSafe Victoria, and the Australian Business Register.
By making an application, the business and Applicant consents to the assessment and verification process.
