Network tariff and retail pricing reform is urgently needed to ensure pricing supports good outcomes for all household energy users and an efficient energy system. Without reform we risk creating a system that only works for those who can afford it, while driving up system costs and making energy less affordable for people already experiencing disadvantage.
That’s why we’re pushing back against draft recommendations and making detailed recommendations for improved retail and network pricing in our response to the Australian Energy Market Commission’s (AEMC) Pricing Review Draft Report. Our key recommendations include:
- Removing unfair and confusing retail discrimination, ensuring all available offers are public and available according to consistent, transparent criteria, and that people on the same offer pay the same prices;
- That the Commission support efforts to strengthen default pricing so that it functions as a widely available, simple and efficient default all consumers can rely on; and
- That much more robust, real-world data underpin transparent assessment and bill‑impact modelling of network tariff reform options to ensure effective assessment of potential reform options and their impact on households and the system.
What’s next?
We expect final recommendations from the AEMC review in June 2026, and rule change proposals to follow. We’ll continue to interrogate these issues, consulting with fellow consumer advocates, market bodies, government, and market participants including retailers and networks throughout the process. We are also working through default market offer (DMO) setting processes and other ongoing retail market reform processes to advocate for progress on our recommendations.
Read more in our Submission on the AEMC Pricing Review – Discussion Paper
Submission on Reforms to the Default Market Offer (DMO)
Submission to the AER Review of consumer protections for future energy services
