Electricity networks to move under national regulator
The National Energy Retail Law (Queensland) Bill 2014 (NERL) has been passed by Parliament.
The NERL Bill will improve customer protections by regulating customer retail services and customer connection services for electricity and gas supply.
The legislation will transition Queensland into the National Energy Customer Framework, which will see the regulation of embedded electricity networks, currently covered by Queensland laws, move to a national framework administered by the Australian Energy Regulator.
Additionally, the NERL Bill aims to:
- Implement a clearer and more effective price comparison service to help customers choose the most appropriate customer retail contract for their needs
- Place regulatory obligations on retailers to operate programs to help small customers experiencing financial difficulty
- Establish a comprehensive ‘exempt seller’ framework that gives small customers in on-supply situations (such as retirement villages) broadly equivalent protections to other customers.
The Bill can be found here and the Explanatory Notes can be found here.