We welcome the opportunity to provide further comment on the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources’ (DISER) Post-implementation review of Competition and Consumer (Industry Code – Electricity Retail) Regulations 2019. The Code introduces the Default Market Offer (DMO) which places a price cap on standing offers in DMO jurisdictions and acts as a Reference Price for comparing certain electricity prices.
We believe the introduction of the DMO has resulted in positive outcomes for consumers and support the part it has played in bringing down prices for both standing offer and market offer customers as well as being an important tool for consumers to navigate a complicated energy market. These observations were supported by our Energy Consumer Sentiment Survey (ECSS) which found increased satisfaction with affordability and increased consumer confidence in the availability of easily understandable information.
Our submission broadly supports the directions outlined in the paper but offers some comments on proposals such as:
- Changing of terms and wording.
- Further consultation on the Reference Price.
- Improving general consumer awareness of the DMO.
We go into further detail on this in our submission here.
You can also see our submission to DISER’s previous round of consultation here.
