Energy Articles

The recommendations from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) in its recent ‘ACCC Retail Electricity Pricing Inquiry—Final Report’ (the ...
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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released its final report in relation to Retail Electricity Pricing; Restoring electricity ...
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Regulation for the National Electricity Market jurisdictions (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Tasmania) is ...
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In this article, we look at two regulatory announcements for the Victorian Retail Energy Market over the last ten days ...
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Last month, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced approval of $738 million worth of projects for electric vehicle (EV) ...
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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has instituted proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia against Click Energy alleging it ...
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What will be the practical impact of the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) on retailers? When we first discussed the NEG, ...
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On 18 June the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) announced that it was reviewing its Compliance Procedures and Guidelines (Guidelines) to ...
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The Energy and Water Ombudsman of NSW (EWON) has announced changes to its Constitution and a new funding model. This follows ...
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On 3 July, the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) released its final report on the value of solar feed-in ...
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In this article, we include the transcript and presentation slides from a recent free webinar that examines Jurisdictional Derogations under the ...
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This week saw the commencement of the AEMC’s rule change ‘putting a stop to pseudo-discount deals that leave consumers worse ...
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Solar Power Purchase Agreements are on the rise in Australia. Solar PPAs are regulated primarily through AER's (and in Victoria, ...
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The National Energy Guarantee (NEG) was announced by the Federal Government in April. This followed on from the recommendations made ...
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The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) recently released summaries of compliance audits for 2017 in relating to customer disconnection and AER ...
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In today’s article, our focus is not on any regulatory proposals, but three innovation opportunities for energy businesses that are ...
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In providing legal, regulatory and compliance services, we see a variety of approaches towards compliance and enable clients to outsource ...
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One year ago, I arrived in Buenos Aires for the first time. Heading to a salsa club in the fashionable ...
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May has been another massive month for regulatory and compliance developments in Australia. While April was dominated by the National ...
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The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has just begun consultation on a rule change request that would change National Electricity ...
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It is essential that all businesses in the energy industry understand their obligations to customers undergoing financial hardship. We talked ...
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The Australian Energy Regulator’s (AER) Quarterly Compliance Report: National Electricity and Gas Laws 1 January – 31 March 2018 was ...
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On 25 May the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force. If you need help in working out ...
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The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) recently announced a review on how much estimated tax it will allocate when making revenue ...
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The key driver of rising electricity bills in Australia has been network costs.[1] Accordingly, a range of measures have been ...
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Here at Compliance Quarter, a key focus of ours is supporting Australian energy retailers with licensing, authorisation and general compliance ...
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The obligation to ensure adherence to general and specific laws applying to your company’s operations is at the heart of ...
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A huge amount of media and public commentary over the last month has been devoted to the National Energy Guarantee ...
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Government Confirms New Framework for Data Availability and Use - We have discussed the Federal Government’s response to the Productivity ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter.  The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has released new Retail Pricing Information Guidelines (the new Guidelines) which ...
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Last week the CEO of PG & E, Geisha Williams, California’s largest utility provider, explained PG & E’s move away ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter.  Photo by Jefferson Santos on Unsplash The OAIC has published its first quarterly statistics report ...
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Last week, New Zealand’s electricity regulator announced that “consumer choice has reached record levels, with 47 different retail brands now ...
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Innovation in the Energy Market - If you believe the news, we are in the midst of an energy crisis ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter.  AER Reporting procedures - The Australian Energy Regulator has released an updated AER (Retail Law) ...
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Key considerations for energy retailers - So, your business has decided to obtain an energy retail authorisation? We have seen ...
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On 23 March, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER), Energy Consumers Australia and Energy Networks Australia announced the ‘New Reg’ initiative ...
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Under the National Energy Retail Law (see sections 43-51) and associated Rules (see rules 31 and 71-73), energy retailers have ...
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The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has ramped up its enforcement activities in relation to telemarketing practices in the ...
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Supporting compliance in embedded networks is an important focus here at Compliance Quarter. Embedded networks are private electricity networks or ...
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In our March energy news update we summarise the key regulatory changes and consultations announced in March that all energy ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter.  The New South Wales Government (government) has lodged a submission with the Australian Energy Market ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter.  The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has released an Issues Paper for discussion on ...
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EWON Consultation Review - Under the new Retail Exemption Guidelines and Network Exemption Guidelines – from July 2018 – All ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter.  The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has released an updated Retail (Exempt) Selling Guideline Version 5 March ...
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Last Friday we ran a free webinar on the common misconceptions in embedded networks for exempt and authorised retailers. You ...
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On 15 March 2018, the QLD State Development, Natural Resources and Agricultural Industry Development Committee ('Committee') published its report on the Electricity ...
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The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has issued infringement notices to Energex after the distributor allegedly left life support (LS) customers ...
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This is a quick update on the Australian Energy Regulator’s recent announcements regarding Metering Coordinator requirements and the revised Exempt ...
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Opportunities for innovators in frequency control? ARENA invests half a million in wind farm feasibility study. The Australian Renewable Energy ...
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February Fintech Roundup: The Open Banking Review and Fintech lending to SMEs. In February we saw the release of two ...
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Embedded Network Managers in Queensland: What's the Deal? In a previous post, we looked at the Electricity and Other Legislation ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter.  The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has released an updated Electricity Service Provider - Registration Exemption ...
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Photo by Jordan Andrews on Unsplash By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter.  Property group penalised $60,000 by AER for alleged unauthorised sale of energy ...
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This morning we ran a webinar on Customer Hardship. A recording of the webinar is available to our clients via ...
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A couple of weeks ago the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a lengthy report (250 pages) on their review of ...
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The Federal Government announced on 21 February that it has submitted a rule change request to the Australian Energy Market ...
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On 28 February 2018, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) released three discussion papers as part of their review of the ...
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On 15 February, the Electricity and Other Legislation (Batteries and Premium Feed-in Tariff) Amendment Bill 2018 was introduced to the ...
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We recently discussed the Energy Security Board’s (ESB) consultation on high-level design for the emissions obligation in the National Energy ...
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In this article, we examine ACCC compliance and enforcement priorities for 2018, including energy and the consumer data right. By ...
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In today’s update, we provide a whirlwind summary of three issues (Service Classification, Asset Exemption, Revenue Proposals and RIT Applications) ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter.  Owners corporations must ensure that all windows fitted to common property, above the ground floor, ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter.  The AGL group of companies has paid penalties totalling $60,000 in response to three infringement ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter.  The National Energy Retail Amendment (Notification of end of fixed benefit period) Rule 2017 No ...
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Yesterday we received some further information on the National Energy Guarantee in the form of a consultation paper. We have ...
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Explicit informed consent is required to 'switch' a consumer from one retailer to another. Following extensive news and political coverage ...
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In addition to our regular news updates and analysis, the regulatory energy experts at Compliance Quarter have been busy helping ...
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The Government recently released an exposure draft of a Bill (the draft Bill) capturing many of the recommendations of 2017’s ...
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The ESC announces registration and provision of key information in relation to the sale or supply of electricity in Victoria ...
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Photo by Adam Birkett on Unsplash By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter.  The Electricity Supply (Safety and Network Management) Regulation 2014 requires all NSW electricity network ...
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On February 1, the Commonwealth Government announced new restrictions on foreign investment in energy - future applications for the sale ...
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We recently discussed changes to the way in which retail pricing information is communicated to retail customers (see https://compliancequarter.com.au/new-format-communicating-retail-pricing-information-energy-customers/). Another ...
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There has been strong demand over the last few years for improved customer access to information that will help them ...
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Under a PPA, the energy consumer pays for electricity consumed or generated from a solar PV system installed on their ...
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If implemented, the AEMC recommendations will effectively take an axe to the existing regulation of embedded networks - embedded network ...
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With only the first month of the year gone there have already been a range of regulatory initiatives announced that ...
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The Government is currently seeking submissions on an exposure draft of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Taxation and Superannuation Guarantee Integrity ...
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NSW irrigators will soon be subject to a host of new water compliance reform obligations, due to a swift government ...
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On 21 December 2017, the Government began consultation on the exposure draft of a new law (the draft Bill) which ...
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Photo by Jair Lázaro on Unsplash By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter.  The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has today released ...
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Last month we talked about Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) funding of the ‘Innovative ...
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As part of the ‘Power of Choice’ reforms, on 1 December 2017, the life support notification obligations for embedded networks ...
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Last week we looked at some of the proposals contained in the draft electricity network service provider registration exemption guideline ...
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The sale of electricity in Victoria is regulated by the Electricity Industry Act 2000 (VIC).  Sellers must either operate under ...
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Yesterday we spoke about the final Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) report on the regulation of embedded networks. Recommendations from ...
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On 17 November, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) released the latest Draft Guideline – Exemption from Registration as a Network ...
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In this post on understanding GDPR, we'll look at the following: Data Disruption Regulation in the age of Data The ...
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Today we look at two new publications that will impact the regulation of embedded networks in 2018. This month saw ...
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On 26 November the Federal Government announced its intention to legislate a national Consumer Data Right next year, following the ...
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Should we be looking to collaborate with the energy industry regulators and push for an energy sandbox that will foster ...
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‘Smart contracts’ have not yet taken off as a common commercial tool in Australia. In light of this, consideration of ...
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The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has just announced that a transitional compliance approach to the new embedded network manager (ENM) ...
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We recently summarised the changes proposed in the new draft retail exempt selling guideline (the draft guideline) issued by the ...
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Last week we talked about the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal NSW (IPART) Review of Compliance and Enforcement Policy (read ...
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In the past, we have looked at some of the existing powers and proposed powers that the Australian Securities & ...
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On 19 October, the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) and New Zealand’s Financial Markets Authority (FMA) “re-affirmed” a commitment ...
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On 11 October, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) jointly announced that 10 ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter.  On 6 November 2017 the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) released a revised Draft Retail Exempt ...
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On Thursday, 26 October, the Annual Report of the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) was tabled in the House ...
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We have previously looked at the sweeping changes to privacy laws coming into effect in the EU. These laws will ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter.  The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal NSW (IPART) is currently undertaking a review of its ...
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Several months ago, we discussed the Government’s announced expansion of the FinTech regulatory sandbox (https://compliancequarter.com.au/regulatory-changes/). It was proposed then to ...
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The AEMC has made a number of rule changes which come in to force on 1 December 2017. The changes ...
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The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) released its Annual Report last month. It summarises the work of the ...
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On 17 October, the Commonwealth Government announced that it intends to introduce a ‘National Energy Guarantee' (NEG) scheme.[1] The scheme ...
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We have looked at a range of reports, inquiries and policies over the last few months which are, at least ...
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The Turnbull Government yesterday announced that it would accept the recommendation of the Energy Security Board (ESB) for the introduction ...
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On 16 October, the federal Government passed the Competition and Consumer Amendment (Abolition of Limited Merits Review) Bill 2017 (the ...
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A few months ago, in The low-down on the retail client money reforms for OTC derivatives, we looked at client ...
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Last time in The Banking Executive Accountability Regime (BEAR) Exposure Draft - Part One we talked about the new role ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has released a consultation draft of proposed new AER Compliance ...
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In May we talked about the Government’s Budget commitment to a new Banking Executive Accountability Regime (BEAR) in Budget 2017 ...
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Today we are pleased to announce a number of updates to the Compliance HUB. The focus of our most recent ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter On 12 September 2017 the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) released a Draft Report which ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter UPDATE: In the JJ Richards matter the Federal Court has declared by consent that eight of ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter The Australian Energy Market Operator has released Package 3 changes to amend a number of ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter The Australian Energy Market Commission has released a draft rule to support a competitive market ...
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On 31 July, the Prime Minister requested the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) to consider conducting a nation-wide compliance review (https://www.mdba.gov.au/media/mr/basin-wide-compliance-review) ...
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In May 2017, the Clean Energy Council (CEC) released a Briefing Paper, Charging Forward: Policy and regulatory reforms to unlock ...
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Today we look at proposed changes to regulatory obligations for those operating in the superannuation sector. Namely, the seven key ...
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On July 20, the Government announced that an independent review has been set up to consider the best process for ...
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There are some key definitions contained in the Energy Retail Law which need to be understood.  Chapter 10 of the ...
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The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has just announced that it is increasing the capital adequacy ratios for banks and ...
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Earlier this year, the Government’s cyber security advisor, Alastair MacGibbon, described a “prevailing ‘tick box’ compliance culture” for federal government ...
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The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) has just released a report (12 July) Securities & derivatives sector: money ...
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A key part of the Government’s Budget package last year was a reduction in company tax rates for small businesses ...
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Most businesses that facilitate the trading of assets or financial instruments (‘market venues’) are required to hold an Australian Market ...
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In May, we discussed the Government’s announcement that there would be significant changes to Temporary Work (Skilled) (subclass 457) visas, ...
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On 14 June 2017, the High Court of Australia delivered its decision in Air New Zealand Ltd v ACCC; Pt ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter Professor Ross Garnaut recently delivered a lecture to the Faculty of Business and Economics at ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has obtained an extension of the timeframe for publication ...
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The Federal Government has recently issued a discussion paper (the paper) titled Tax Deductible Gift Recipient Reform Opportunities. The proposed ...
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In our earlier article, The Productivity Commission’s proposed comprehensive consumer right to data, we looked at the new consumer right ...
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Yesterday we mentioned AFSL obligations in relation to OTC derivatives trading by electricity retailers who operate under an energy retail ...
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It is an interesting time in the energy market. The energy market is currently characterised by structural change and policy ...
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We recently looked at changes to compliance reporting guidelines issued by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER), today we examine three ...
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By Dr. Drew Donnelly, Compliance Quarter. Last month in Financial crime doesn’t pay – three ways in which wrongdoers may ...
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By Dr. Drew Donnelly, Compliance Quarter. In our last article on blockchain, Understanding smart contracts, we talked through an example ...
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By Dr Drew Donnelly, Compliance Quarter. Continuing in our series of posts on blockchain and related financial technology, today we ...
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By Anne Wardell and Connor James, Compliance Quarter. A variety of businesses are involved in the sale of energy. These ...
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By Dr Drew Donnelly, Compliance Quarter. Today, continuing in our series of articles concerning developments in the fintech regulatory space ...
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By Dr Drew Donnelly, Compliance Quarter. Last year, the Federal Government announced its commitment to Australia being a world-leader in ...
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By Dr Drew Donnelly, Compliance Quarter. On 13 June, The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and Australian Securities ...
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By Dr Drew Donnelly, Compliance Quarter. Over the last couple of weeks we have asked the question ‘Is your business ...
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By Dr Drew Donnelly, Compliance Quarter. The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) has just announced that it has passed the ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter. In a recent article, Embedded Networks under the spotlight, Connor James outlined the Australian Energy ...
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By Connor James, Compliance Quarter. The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) is reviewing the regulatory arrangements for embedded networks. Embedded ...
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By Dr Drew Donnelly, Compliance Quarter. We mentioned last time that the Government is consulting on some options for curbing ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter. Small customers of authorised retailers and distributors of energy have access to free and independent ...
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By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter On 9 June 2017, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) released the following documents: Compliance procedures ...
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On 7 June in Paris, 68 nations signed the Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base ...
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Last month, we discussed recent Senate committee proposals to strengthen the civil penalties regime under the Corporations Act 2001 for ...
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This is our second post on the Notifiable Data Breaches Scheme. Amendments made to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) this ...
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Last Friday the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) released draft resources to help businesses comply with the Notifiable ...
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As of 25 May 2018, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will implement a new extra-territorial data protection ...
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Today saw the release of the 2017 State of the Energy Market, a report published by the Australian Energy Regulator ...
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In our last article, we talked about some general changes that the Government is making to the financial services industry ...
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Last week we talked about the Government’s new rules for temporary working visas. On 9 May, the release of Federal ...
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Are you in the hire or rental business? The law is about to change — and it’s good news On ...
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Last month the Government announced sweeping changes to the temporary work visa in Australia. This suite of changes is complex ...
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Located in Erina and Sydney NSW, with an exciting product that solves a significant problem for our customers, we are ...
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In this post we provide some of the background to the compliance portal, why we are doing what we are ...
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An effective corporate compliance program is essential to good governance and risk management. Many businesses have invested significantly in compliance ...
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A variety of businesses are involved in selling energy. These businesses include caravan parks, building managers, shopping centres, office buildings, ...
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