The Queensland Consumers Association (QCA) wants the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) to change its proposed new rule in the National Energy Customer Framework (NECF) that will require energy retailers to provide customers with prior notification of price changes for many types of contracts.
Although the QCA’s submission to the AEMC supports most of the proposals, especially prior notification of price decreases as well as increases, it also calls for several changes including:
- The notification to include the % change in prices not just the current and new prices.
- The notification to include a reference to the existence of the federal government’s energy offer comparison website energymadeeasy
- The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) to specify, via guidelines based on consumer research, how the information must be be provided.
- The minimum prior notification period be 10 business days not 5.
- Requiring the provision only of GST inclusive prices.
- Requiring on-going monitoring of the Rule’s effectiveness and of retailer compliance.
- A review of the Rule after 3 years of operation.
A copy of the submission is available here.
The new Rule would apply to NSW, ACT, South Australia and Tasmania, but not to Victoria (which has not adopted the NECF) or Queensland (which has its own Rule within the NECF).
Ian Jarratt, Queensland Consumers Association