We welcome the opportunity to respond to the Independent Accountability Panel’s (IAP) call for submissions on the 2021 Disclosures by the Energy Charter Signatories.

The 2021 disclosures cover the third year of the Energy Charter since its inception in 2019. The process has further matured, and as a result, we have expectations of continued improvement building on last year’s disclosures and overall progress.

We note that this year, there has been a change in the makeup of the Energy Charter signatories, with a majority of networks and fewer retailers, and one signatory not submitting a disclosure report. Our comments reflect this shift, recognising that most signatories may have limited ability to engage directly with customers. We are concerned that a key premise of the Energy Charter to drive collaboration across the supply chain, may be increasingly difficult to achieve with the current mix of signatories.

Explore our reflections which touch on clearer outcomes, culture change, indigenous engagement, support for minority groups, distributed energy resources and social licence in our submission here.

We want to thank the IAP for the critical role they play as a constructive source of feedback and advice for the Energy Charter signatories, and in raising the bar and lifting expectations of better outcomes for consumers.