The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s (IPART) is undertaking its annual review, Monitoring the Retail Electricity and Gas Markets in NSW. The JEC made a submission to IPART’s consultation paper.
We welcome IPART’s examination of prices, competitive dynamics, the participation of households in the electricity and gas markets, and the outcomes achieved by all households.
We draw IPART’s attention to the limited value of publicly available data in making determinations about the effectiveness of the market and household outcomes, and encourage the NSW Government to enable IPART to seek any information they need to effectively assess outcomes for NSW households.
In this submission we also raise current and emerging consumer issues including affordability; flaws in assistance provided where households experience payment difficulty; and issues with retail choice and consent, including with pricing structures.
We also raise consumer issues with regard to the energy transition including the need for standards for new Consumer Energy Resources; delays and distrust with the smart meter roll out; and the widening gap between households who can reduce their energy use in healthy ways, and those who can’t.
Reducing unfair fines and over-policing from alcohol-free zones