The AER has published the Eligible Experts’ report for the 2026 Rate of Return Instrument (RORI) review.
We commenced the 2026 RORI review on 4 August 2025 with the release of an AER discussion paper. Before we publish a draft RORI, energy laws require the AER to seek concurrent expert opinions or evidence about the proposed RORI. To this end, we engaged a panel of appointed Eligible Experts to prepare a report, with a particular focus on the key issues raised in the AER’s discussion paper.
To assist stakeholders’ understanding of the Eligible Experts’ report, an online public forum will be held between 9.30-11am (AEDT) on 4 December 2025. The Eligible Experts will provide an overview of the key findings of their report and respond to any pre-submitted stakeholder questions at the public forum. The AER will be observers. Stakeholders are invited to register their attendance for the public forum, and submit their written questions to the Eligible Experts at RateOfReturn
aer [dot] gov [dot] au (RateOfReturn[at]aer[dot]gov[dot]au) by no later than 5pm (AEDT) on 1 December 2025.
Stakeholders are invited to make a consolidated submission on both the AER’s discussion paper and the Eligible Experts’ report by 5pm (AEDT) on 19 December 2025. Submissions will inform the AER’s considerations for the draft RORI which we expect to publish in April 2026.