The AER has today published the draft AER Retail Guidelines, which combine 4 separate updated enforceable retail guidelines into a single, easy-to-use document.
The draft AER Retail Guidelines are designed to reduce regulatory burden for retailers while improving protections and outcomes for customers at the same time. They include the:
- Retail Pricing Information Guidelines
- Benefit Change Notice Guidelines
- Billing Guideline (formerly the Better Bills Guideline)
- Customer Hardship Policy Guideline.
The AER exists to ensure consumers are better off now and in the future. They are at the heart of everything we do.
In 2022, we launched Towards energy equity - a strategy for an inclusive energy market. Since then, we have identified and advocated for reforms that would address gaps in consumer protections and improve outcomes for energy customers.
Our Retail guidelines review continues that work. It has been initiated in response to recent rule changes and with a view to ensuring that the guidelines remain effective in an evolving energy market. It also presents an opportunity to simplify the retail regulatory framework by reducing duplication, improving alignment across the guidelines and removing obligations that are no longer relevant.
While we welcome feedback on all aspects of the draft AER Retail Guidelines, we are seeking specific feedback on consumer outcomes, implementation costs and related issues for retailers as well as how to make the guidelines fit-for-purpose as new types of energy plans are introduced across the retail market.
Feedback will inform the development of the final AER Retail Guidelines, which we expect to publish in September 2026.
