Consultation Archives

Oct172024 by Connor JamesNo Comments

Government Announces Ban Unfair Trading Practices to Protect Consumers

Compliance, Consultation, Consumer, NT Energy Compliance

The Albanese Government is introducing significant reforms to ban unfair trading practices under the Australian Consumer Law. These reforms aim to protect Australian consumers and small businesses from deceptive and manipulative practices that increase the cost of living. Expansion of Australian Consumer Law to cover unfair trading practices has been under consideration for many years. The intended outcome would be that a wider range of conduct would be prohibited - conduct that adversely affects consumers. Executive summary: The Albanese Government has announced a series of reforms aimed at banning unfair trading practices under the Australian Consumer Law. These reforms target practices such as subscription traps, hidden fees, deceptive online tactics, and dynamic pricing, all of which contribute to the rising cost of living. The Government has also released a consultation paper…

Jun32024 by Jodi DonovanNo Comments

AER payment difficulty framework review

AU Energy Compliance, Compliance, Consultation

The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) is conducting a review of the consumer protections available under the National Energy Customer Framework (NECF) for those experiencing payment difficulties. On 14 May 2024, the AER released an issues paper for consultation. The review is driven by the commitment in Action 8 of the ‘Towards Energy Equity’ strategy in which the AER committed to considering whether improvements could be made to the NECF to ensure that consumers experiencing payment difficulties are identified early, engaged proactively, and provided with assistance tailored to their individual needs. Currently, the NECF offers various protections for consumers facing payment difficulties through regulatory instruments such as the National Energy Retail Law (NERL), National Energy Retail Rules (NERR), National Energy Retail Regulations, and the AER Customer Hardship Policy Guideline. These protections…

Jun192023 by Connor JamesNo Comments

Submission: Draft decisions and reasons for proposed changes to the scope and design of the electricity licensing regime

Consultation, NT Energy Compliance

Utilities-Commission-submission-16-June-2023_upload_2Download Compliance Quarter supports the Northern Territory Utilities Commission’s proposal to take a risk-based approach to determining if an activity requires an electricity supply licence or can operate under an exemption. This approach aligns regulation with the potential impacts of an activity and avoids imposing unnecessary obligations and costs. Compliance Quarter agrees with exempting electric vehicle charging stations from licensing requirements. They also support a standing exemption for small energy storage systems to facilitate uptake and benefit consumers. Compliance Quarter submits that power purchase agreements (PPAs) for small-scale solar PV systems and battery storage systems should be exempt from licensing. Their reasons are: PPAs provide a supplemental service as customers retain their grid connection. Electricity supply remains accessible even if PPA supply is curtailed. Exempting PPAs would align with other…

Apr162023 by Connor JamesNo Comments

Empowering Change: New Obligations for Energy Retailers to Support Customers Affected by Family Violence

Consultation

As of May 1, 2023, significant changes to the National Energy Retail Rules will come into effect, placing new obligations on energy retailers to better support customers impacted by family violence. This landmark rule change, spearheaded by the Australian Energy Market Commission, aims to protect residential and small business customers from the exploitation of essential services by perpetrators. In response to these amendments, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has released an interim guidance note detailing their expectations for retailers' adherence to the new family violence provisions. This article explores the key messages from the AER's guidelines, such as customer identification, safety and risk considerations, staff training, and the necessary steps for compliance. As the energy sector navigates these transformative changes, our team stands ready to provide assistance in reviewing and…

Mar252023 by Pritish Naik SalgaonkarNo Comments

Embedded Network Action Plan – New South Wales

AU Energy Compliance, Consultation

The Embedded Network Action Plan sets expectations for embedded network operators to better engage with their customers. This comes after reviews and inquiries found that some customers of embedded networks face poor outcomes due to gaps in the current regulatory framework. The NSW Government Embedded Network Action Plan aims to provide equitable consumer and price protections for customers of embedded networks. The plan outlines immediate and medium-term actions to improve outcomes for these customers. Immediate actions: Introduce a maximum price for energy sold to customers of hot and chilled water embedded networks and gas embedded networks to protect against unreasonably high prices. Release a Ministerial Statement of Expectations (see below) Medium-term actions: Implement policy updates to strengthen consumer protections for hot and chilled water embedded network users. Broaden the Energy…