On 27 March 2025, the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) published the Draft National Energy Retail Amendment (Assisting hardship customers) Rule 2025. The draft rule was made 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).
The draft rule sought to:
- increase support and improve outcomes for hardship customers so that they are no worse off if they do not take up their retailer’s deemed better offer (including not incurring more debt or expense than is necessary)
- place a stronger onus on retailers to assist hardship customers with deemed better offers but afford retailers flexibility in delivering these protections
- improve the reporting and transparency of the type of hardship offers customers are on and assist the AER with monitoring to ensure retailers comply with the proposed rule.
The AER made a submission on the draft rule on 8 May 2025.