It was incumbent on utility outfits to help customers in trouble, but also vital for customers to help themselves, Victoria’s Energy and Water Ombudsman said.

Cynthia Gebert said that put simply, these businesses “are meant to tell their customers that we exist”.

“The businesses are also meant to include our details on some of their disconnection warning notices,” she said in the lead-up to the release on Tuesday of the ombudsman’s 2017 annual report.

This revealed that while there had been an 11 per cent drop in registered cases – from 36,152 Victoria-wide in 2015-16 to 32,002 in 2016-17 – there had been a clear move to greater complexity in casework.

That reduction continued a trend of recent years where there had been one period of a 40 per cent drop followed by one of 29 per cent.

“We were very busy a few years ago dealing with really straightforward complaints that shouldn’t be anywhere near an ombudsman service anyway,” Ms Gebert said.

“Our role really should be as the office of last resort.

“We’re not meant to be part of the customer service system of the energy and water businesses; we’re meant to be where people go when they can’t get things sorted by themselves.”

The average arrears in cases tackled by the office has been about $2500, which Ms Gebert said was “a lot” for a customer trying to negotiate with the big energy or water businesses.

“But if we’re talking about customers contacting the companies when they can’t pay a bill or part of a bill, it’s a different discussion to significant arrears.”