The Energy Charter initiative launched today by a group of seventeen energy companies is an important catalyst for energy companies to reset and reshape their relationship with Australian households and small businesses.

The Energy Charter provides signatories across the whole supply chain – generators, networks, retailers and new energy services providers – with a new consumer-orientated framework to work towards as they play their role in delivering essential energy services. The CEO of Energy Consumers Australia, Rosemary Sinclair AM said with wide industry sign-up, she had high expectations of the Charter and the signatories.

“Australian households and small businesses are looking for strong leadership from energy companies to address affordability challenges and help smooth out the volatility associated with a transforming energy system,” Ms Sinclair said.

“They are sending a strong message about affordability and want to energy companies to be partners they can trust.

“The energy sector is at an inflexion point – not just because of rapid changes in technology, but because energy is an essential service and its role in the economy is critical to homes and businesses. The sector needs to win back the trust and confidence of its customers and the community.

“We are pleased to have played a role in the development of The Energy Charter. It is a voluntary regime, built on an ambitious set of principles – cast in terms of core consumer outcomes – that all signatories will find challenging to meet and demands a lot of hard work and new thinking.”

“Perhaps most importantly, we expect it to guide a change in culture across the energy industry, where consumers are put at the centre of decisions.”

“The open and collaborative way the founding members of The Energy Charter engaged with consumer groups through the formation of the End-User Consultative Group, to develop The Energy Charter is a starting point for an ongoing dialogue.”

“By putting pen to paper on The Energy Charter, the Boards and executive leadership teams of these energy companies are committing to re-examining every aspect of their business, asking a simple question: does this help us deliver on energy consumers’ expectations?

“The Accountability Panel is a critical part of the architecture of The Energy Charter. We look forward to working with its independent Chair, Dr Wendy Craik AM, who brings enormous integrity and a wealth of experience in public policy and governance to the critical task of assessing and publicly reporting on the continuous improvement of the signatories.”

Media Contact: Tim O’Halloran 0409 059 617