Project timeline

Overview

Indicative timetable

Milestone

Date

Early consultation, preliminary analysis and consumer research

October 2023 – April 2024

Consultation on key issues, including stakeholder workshops

14 May – 28 June 2024

Stakeholder forum to share feedback received during consultation

30 July 2024

Findings and consultation report15 May 2025

Stakeholder forum to present findings on the case for change and explore the opportunities identified for improvement

11 June 2025

Issues Paper

On 14 May 2024, we released an issues paper for the review of payment difficulty protections in the National Energy Customer Framework. 

The paper sought feedback on key issues that have been identified through early consultation, preliminary analysis and consumer research, including:

  • the effectiveness of existing protections for consumers experiencing payment difficulty, including who is eligible for these protections, what retailers must do to identify, engage with and assist consumers experiencing payment difficulty, and protections to ensure that disconnection is a last resort 
  • whether there are opportunities to strengthen protections for consumers experiencing payment difficulty, including opportunities to improve customer engagement so that disconnection is truly a last resort
  • the benefits and limitations of other frameworks and approaches, including the Victorian payment difficulty framework and approaches in other sectors
  • the costs and benefits of potential changes to the framework, including the impacts of potential changes on retailer costs and the benefits and limitations of harmonising payment difficulty protections across the national energy market.

Issues Paper - Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF

Our issues paper sought feedback on whether change is needed to strengthen protections for energy consumers experiencing payment difficulty.
Authors
AER
Content type
Document

Submissions

-

Consultation on the issues paper opened on 14 May 2024 and closed on 28 June 2024. The AER received 25 formal submissions in response to the issues paper, including 7 late submissions. 

Alinta Energy - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 27 June 2024

Authors
Alinta Energy
Content type
Document

Ausgrid - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 28 June 2024

Authors
Ausgrid
Content type
Document

Australian Energy Council - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 28 June 2024

Authors
Australian Energy Council (AEC)
Content type
Document

Compliance Quarter - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 28 June 2024

Authors
Compliance Quarter
Content type
Document

Consumer Action Law Centre - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 28 June 2024

Authors
Consumer Action Law Centre (CALC)
Content type
Document

Dr Lee White and Brad Riley - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 27 June 2024

Content type
Document

Dr Thomas Longden - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 28 June 2024

Content type
Document

Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW, QLD and SA - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 25 June 2024

Authors
Energy and Water Ombudsman of NSW (EWON)
Energy and Water Ombudsman of Queensland (EWOQ)
Energy and Water Ombudsman of South Australia (EWOSA)
Content type
Document

Energy Australia - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 28 June 2024

Authors
Energy Australia
Content type
Document

Energy Consumers Australia - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 28 June 2024

Authors
Energy Consumers Australia (ECA)
Content type
Document

Engie - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 28 June 2024

Authors
ENGIE
Content type
Document

Ergon Energy - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 28 June 2024

Authors
Ergon Energy
Content type
Document

Financial Counselling Australia - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 28 June 2024

Authors
Financial Counselling Australia (FCA)
Content type
Document

Financial Counselling Victoria - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 26 June 2024

Authors
Financial Counselling Victoria (FCVic)
Content type
Document

Momentum Energy - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 28 June 2024

Authors
Momentum Energy
Content type
Document

SA Power Networks - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 24 June 2024

Authors
SA Power Networks (SAPN)
Content type
Document

Uniting Vic.Tas - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 28 June 2024

Authors
Uniting (Vic.Tas)
Content type
Document

Victorian Council of Social Service - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 28 June 2024

Authors
Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS)
Content type
Document

Late submissions

-

AGL - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 30 June 2024

Authors
AGL
Content type
Document

Brotherhood of St Laurence - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 16 July 2024

Authors
Brotherhood of St Laurence
Content type
Document

Justice and Equity Centre & Others - Joint submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 5 July 2024

Authors
Justice and Equity Centre
Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS)
COTA (Council on the Ageing)
COTA (Council on the Ageing) Australian Capital Territory
COTA (Council on the Ageing) New South Wales
Ethnic Communities' Council of NSW Inc (ECC NSW)
Northern Territory Council of Social Service (NTCOSS)
Queensland Council of Social Service Inc (QCOSS)
South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS)
Sydney Community Forum
Uniting (Vic.Tas)
Content type
Document

Red Energy and Lumo Energy - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 5 July 2024

Authors
Red Energy & Lumo Energy
Content type
Document

Origin Energy - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 5 July 2024

Authors
Origin Energy
Content type
Document

Powershop - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 2 July 2024

Authors
Powershop
Content type
Document

South Australian Council of Social Service - Submission to Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - 4 July 2024

Authors
South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS)
Content type
Document

Stakeholder workshops

-

On 19 June 2024, we held online workshops with energy businesses and consumer organisations as part of consultation for our Review of payment difficulty protections in the National Energy Customer Framework.  The purpose of these workshops was to gain practical insights into engagement practices that reduce the risk of debt and disconnection for energy consumers, from the perspective of people with direct experience engaging with consumers experiencing payment difficulty. The first workshop was attended by 18 representatives and frontline staff from energy businesses, and the second workshop was attended by 21 representatives and frontline staff from consumer advocacy and community support organisations. Summaries of these workshops are available below.

On 23 July 2024, we participated in a listening session facilitated by Voices for Power in Sydney. The purpose of this session was to consult on energy payment difficulty issues affecting people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, with 36 consumers and representatives in attendance. A summary of this listening session is available below.

AER Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - Consultation summary - Workshop 1 (Energy businesses) - 19 June 2024

Authors
AER
Content type
Document

AER Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - Consultation summary - Workshop 2 (Consumer organisations) - 19 June 2024

Authors
AER
Content type
Document

AER Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - Consultation summary - Voices for Power listening session - 23 July 2024

Authors
AER
Content type
Document

Stakeholder forum

On Tuesday 30 July 2024, we ran a stakeholder forum to provide interested stakeholders with an opportunity to hear the perspectives shared with the AER during our consultation on the issues paper. The forum was held online, with 114 people in attendance.

The slides presented at the forum can be downloaded below.

AER Review of payment difficulty protections in the NECF - Stakeholder forum slides - 30 July 2024

These slides were presented to stakeholders on Tuesday 30 July 2024 at a forum for the AER's Review of payment difficulty protections in the National Energy Customer Framework.
Authors
Australian Energy Regulator
Content type
Document