On 28 November 2024, the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) published a consultation paper in response to a rule change request from the Hon. Chris Bowen MP, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, as Chair of the Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council (ECMC).
This rule change seeks to amend the National Energy Retail Rules to improve assistance for people experiencing hardship. The rule change request builds on the AER’s Game changer report presented to the ECMC in December 2023 and is part of a broader package of seven consumer-related rule change requests.
The consultation paper seeks stakeholder feedback on the nature of the identified problem, whether the proposed solution of a crediting mechanism would address the issues raised in the rule change request, whether the proposed changes best promote the long-term interests of consumers and implementation considerations (including potential costs of proposed changes).
The AER made a submission to the consultation paper on 21 January 2025.