The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has released its Compliance and Enforcement Priorities for 2026–27.
The Priorities help guide the AER’s enforcement and proactive compliance efforts and signal the areas where the AER will be paying the closest attention to the behaviour of market participants.
For 2026–27, the AER has maintained its current Compliance and Enforcement Priorities, with limited updates.
The current Priorities remain fit-for-purpose and continue to reflect a number of areas which require further work, including consumer vulnerability, the rollout of smart meters, power system security, network compliance, and gas market reporting obligations.
The Priorities for 2026–27 are:
Improve outcomes for consumers experiencing vulnerability, including by ensuring access to hardship protections and affordable payment plans that reflect capacity to pay, and improving retailer hardship policies.
Protect consumers during the universal transition to smart meters by focusing on compliance with requirements for the smart meter rollout, retail tariff structures and ongoing metering practices.
Support power system security and an efficient wholesale electricity market by focusing on compliance with network outage obligations, generator performance standards and availability obligations.
Promote competition and ensure safe and reliable network infrastructure by improving compliance with network connection and ring-fencing obligations.
Monitor and enforce compliance with reporting requirements under Part 10 of the National Gas Rules.
As in previous years, the priorities are not exhaustive. The AER will continue to monitor all facets of the energy market and will respond to serious misconduct and emerging issues outside these priority areas where appropriate, in accordance with its Compliance and Enforcement Policy.
The AER will release its 2025-26 Compliance and Enforcement Annual Report in July, detailing the work completed under the last year’s priority areas.
The AER will now undertake a full review of the Priorities every 2 years, with consultation on the 2027-28 Priorities to commence in 2027.