The Justice and Equity Centre responded to the Australian Energy Regulator’s (AER) draft decision on Jemena Gas Networks’ 2025–30 access arrangement. As NSW moves toward electrification and away from gas, this process is critical to ensuring consumers aren’t left paying for outdated infrastructure.
We strongly oppose Jemena’s request to charge current customers $156 million in accelerated depreciation—essentially asking them to cover future risks of stranded gas assets. This unfairly shifts costs onto households, especially those already facing disadvantage.
Our submission calls for smarter, fairer planning: reducing unnecessary spending, recovering full costs for new connections upfront, and ensuring disconnection charges are only for the minimum amount to ‘make safe’. We also challenge proposals to socialise abolishment fees, which would make remaining gas users—often lower-income households—pay more while others leave the network.
We support investment in leak detection and emissions reduction, but only where it’s efficient and transparent. And while renewable gas may have a role for some industries, it’s not a viable solution for most households.
This access arrangement is a key moment to protect NSW energy consumers and ensure the gas transition is equitable, affordable, and aligned with climate goals.
