On 19 April 2017 the Australian Government directed the ACCC to conduct a wide-ranging inquiry into the supply of and demand for wholesale gas in Australia, as well as to publish regular information on the supply and pricing of gas for the next three years.
On 25 September 2017, the ACCC released its first interim report of its inquiry into gas supply arrangements in Australia. The report focuses on likely supply and demand conditions in the east coast gas market for 2018.
Energy affordability issues are already hitting the manufacturing industry in Australia hard, ACCC Chairman Rod Sims told the National Press Club in a lunchtime address today.
The ACCC is currently conducting inquiries into both the affordability of retail electricity, and gas market supply and demand.
“We at the ACCC have been sounding the alarm in relation to business energy costs for some time. It is great that there is now considerable focus on this issue,” ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said.
Recent discussions about electricity affordability have centred on electricity generation and the 15‑20% price rises in some states. But this discussion ignores so many other issues. In this address, ACCC Chairman Rod Sims reviews the likely drivers of our current electricity affordability issues, and shows why a focus on generation is too narrow.
The ACCC released an issues paper on 31 May 2017 seeking feedback on pricing, competition and customer issues. Submissions to the issues paper closed on 30 June 2017.
The ACCC is inviting electricity customers to participate in a series of public forums as part of the Electricity supply and prices inquiry.
Energy retailer Lumo Energy Australia Pty Ltd (Lumo) has paid a penalty of $10,800 after being issued with an infringement notice by the ACCC.
The ACCC issued the infringement notice because it had reasonable grounds to believe that Lumo had contravened the Australian Consumer Law by making a false or misleading representation about energy discounts.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has today released an issues paper for its inquiry into retail electricity supply and prices in Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the ACT. The ACCC is seeking submissions by the end of June from interested parties.
The paper sets out the key issues that the ACCC will focus on during its inquiry, including:
The ACCC released an issues paper on 31 May 2017 seeking feedback on pricing, competition and customer issues. Submissions to the issues paper will close on 30 June 2017.
The Terms of Reference for the inquiry were set by the Treasurer, the Hon Scott Morrison MP.