Concessions are a critical safeguard for households experiencing vulnerability or hardship, yet the current system is fragmented and relies on complex manual processes. Too many eligible households miss out on support altogether.
We welcome the Australian Energy Market Commission’s (AEMC) recommendations in its Draft Determination on Improving the Application of Concessions to Bills, for governments to take action to automate the application of concessions. But we urge the AEMC to do more within the current rule change process to improve application of concessions in the meantime.
In addition to requiring retailers to ask about concessions eligibility at the point of sign-up, the rule change should be expanded to include an ongoing obligation for retailers to ask about eligibility periodically (such as every 12 months), or at other specified times (such as when a consumer is experiencing payment difficulty). As automation of concession may require a lengthy reform process, it is important that every effort is made to improve application of concessions under the current framework in the meantime.
