Final decision

The AER has published the final decision from our 2025 Review of the minimum disconnection amount. We have decided to increase the amount to $500 (including GST), effective from 1 July 2026. 

The new amount appropriately balances stronger payment difficulty protections for all customers with minimising the risk of unmanageable debt because:

• the minimum disconnection amount is a minimum protection for all customers
• $500 is reflective of an average quarterly electricity bill, which is still an appropriate benchmark to ensure that there is sufficient incentive and opportunity for retailers to engage before disconnection and for customers to respond to that engagement
• it is easy for customers and customer-facing staff to remember, which will support awareness of and access to this important protection.

The amount applies to both gas and electricity customers.

In making this decision, we have updated and clarified the principles that we rely on when determining the minimum disconnection amount. 

We will monitor relevant data, including retail performance data on the assistance gap, debt levels and disconnection rates, to determine when to review the minimum disconnection amount in future.

With this final decision, we are delivering on action 10 of our Towards energy equity strategy, as well as an opportunity we identified in our Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF.