Origin Energy

Financial Context

Illustrative wage differential: if the 100+ reported offshore roles were instead employed in Australia at average local rates, the additional cost could be in the order of ~$9M/yr (~1.1% of reported net profit). This is an estimate based on industry averages, not company-specific data.

Would this company be profitable without offshoring?

Every dollar paid offshore leaves the Australian economy, reducing local wages, tax receipts, and economic circulation. Why it matters

Financial data: FY2024. Estimate uses avg AU employment cost of $110,000+/yr (incl. super and on-costs) vs offshore $25,000/yr (salary + on-costs). Actual figures vary by role, seniority, and location.

In Plain English

• In 2020, Origin Energy was reported to have 100+ offshore contractors and staff.
• This represents ~1.8% when compared to its current workforce of 5,420 (illustrative comparison only, not directly reported by the company).
• Known outsourcing partners include Accenture.
• 140 Australian jobs have been cut, with all occurring during periods of offshore expansion.

Based on data from public sources at the dates reported. Figures may not reflect current headcount. See sources below for full attribution.

The Story

• September 2026Rachel Noble, who ran the Australian Signals Directorate until 2024, used the Origin breach to warn that offshoring itself creates a security exposure: "I think it has the potential to increase their risk, and in some cases significantly increase their risk of data theft, loss. Cyberattacks that occur through that offshore vector impact the heart of their operations." The AFR reported that Origin had outsourced key billing and customer support functions to Accenture in Manila, and that Origin and Coles are among major Australian companies with Accenture outsourcing deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Island Bell chief executive Charlie O'Connell noted companies stay responsible when those arrangements fail: "Sticking something over there, outside of this country, for me just feels like a risk." [Australian Financial Review]
• August 2026A data breach disclosed in August exposed information belonging to roughly 900,000 current and former Origin customers. Investigators linked it to a former Manila-based employee of Accenture, the firm that helps Origin run its call centres, who allegedly intended to extort the company. Full bank account numbers were exposed for about 60 customers, identity document numbers for about 100, and government concession scheme numbers for about 15,000; most of the rest had name, address, date of birth, phone number, account details and partial card or bank digits taken. This is the clearest case on this site of an offshoring arrangement turning into a security incident, which is why it is recorded here: a breach on its own is outside what this site tracks, but one that runs directly through an offshore operation is not. [Information Age (ACS)]
• September 2019Origin Energy closed its Adelaide call centre, cutting approximately 140 jobs. The closure followed a review of the company's international operations and customer service functions. [ABC News]

All facts sourced from public reporting. No editorial commentary. Click source links to verify.