Energy

Media and commentary related to our work to protect consumer rights and ensure everyone in our community can access the affordable, efficient and clean energy they need.

  • 2SER: Tackling unfair embedded networks

    With energy bills rising, most of us take it for granted that we can switch to a different supplier with a better deal if there’s one available. However, some people don’t have this option because they live in a home within an ‘embedded network’. Instead, they’re locked into a deal that’s often more expensive, with…

  • Australia’s transmission task needs a new approach – let’s open it up to competition

    In particular, the AEMC determined that TNSPs recovering their costs as incurred rather than as commissioned would mean that consumers were paying for transmission lines before they received the benefits of that new line in access to lower priced electricity. As PIAC identified, the rule change would increase intergenerational inequities, with today’s customers paying for the…

  • Eraring extension unnecessary: Government has cheaper, cleaner options

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    The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) has called on the NSW Government to adopt a program of reliable, sustainable energy solutions rather than extend the life of the Eraring coal-fired power station.   There is growing speculation Eraring will be subsidised to operate beyond its planned 2025 closing date due to perceived risks to reliability of…

  • 2SER: Turning down the gas

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    The Australian Government has committed to reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050 and we need to make big cuts by 2030. It’s clear that in order to achieve this, we have to move away from our dependence on fossil fuels This means doing something about the gas used in homes. The Victorian Government recently banned…

  • “We can electrify the smart way, or the slow and expensive way”

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    …To electrify the smart way Australia needs an electrification plan, argues Craig Memery, Senior energy advisor for the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. “We need a plan, we need a strategy, we need a common goal held by governments, by industry, by consumers, by the market institution and others that says this is where we want…

  • 2SER: Greenwashing in Energy

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    Consumer protection body the ACCC has released a report comparing the green claims of nearly 250 businesses across sectors including cars, food and cosmetics. 57 per cent of 247 businesses were identified in the ACCC report were identified as making concerning claims. Energy providers were among the worst offenders, with 16 of 25 businesses identified as making…

  • Consumer groups welcome Knock to Stay Connected customer code for energy companies

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    Consumer groups and the financial counselling sector have welcomed the launch of a new customer code for the energy sector. The Knock to Stay Connected customer code requires network companies to visit people at risk of disconnection and encourages them to outline the support and referral services available if the customer is having payment difficulties,…

  • ‘The only avenue left’: Buy now, pay later used for food, bills

    High-income earners who juggle school fees and mortgage repayments are among the growing number of people who rely on buy now, pay later credit to pay for essential bills, including food and energy. Research from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre found almost half (47 per cent) of more than 1000 Australian consumers used a credit…

  • PIAC joins call to retrofit low-income housing to reduce energy bills

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    More than 90 Community and business organisations including ACOSS, GetUp, the Energy Efficiency Council, the Climate Council and PIAC have come together calling for an ambitious energy performance retrofit package for low-income housing in the budget. The groups have signed an open letter to Assistant Climate and Energy Minister Jenny McAllister, who is driving the…

  • Government dragging its feet regulating Buy Now Pay Later sector, causing more grief for the vulnerable

    Only a few years ago, Buy Now Pay Later was hailed as the ultimate in consumer credit innovation. The current reality is massive losses for the providers while cost-of-living pressures escalate and the most vulnerable consumers suffer most. Welfare groups are demanding regulation, David Gilchrist reports. … Public Interest Advocacy Centre’s Senior Policy Officer, Thea…

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