Overview
Consultation on the draft National Energy Equity Framework has now closed. We would like to thank everyone who submitted a response to the survey questions and provided a submission. The feedback received will inform development of the final framework to be considered by Energy Ministers.
Submissions received that were marked as public are available on the Published submissions page.
Background
From 25 September 2024 to 18 October 2024, key stakeholders and interested members of the Australian public were invited to provide their feedback on a draft National Energy Equity Framework.
The Australian Government is developing a National Energy Equity Framework to establish a common approach for improving equity outcomes in the energy retail market and includes analytical models, tools and guidance for policy makers.
The draft framework has been developed by the Australian and state and territory governments, informed by the work of independent researchers. It is designed to be used by policy makers in government agencies and market bodies when developing programs and policies for Australian energy consumers.
The draft framework and public consultation process reaffirms the commitment made by Energy Ministers at the Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council meeting on 24 November 2023 to an equitable energy transition for all Australians.
The framework was developed as part of a body of work agreed to by the former Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Energy Council in response to the Independent Review into the Future Security of the National Electricity Market (the Finkel Review).
Recommendation 6.6 of the Finkel Review identified the need to improve access for low-income households to distributed (consumer) energy resources (such as solar panels) and energy efficiency programs.
The Finkel Review raised concerns that as large numbers of consumers reduce their bills by adopting distributed (consumer) energy resources and energy efficiency improvements, consumers who may not be able to do so are paying a higher proportion of shared costs in the energy market.
The Commonwealth established a working group with all states and territories and an expert stakeholder reference group (comprising representatives from academia, advocacy groups, market bodies and community bodies with experience in designing and delivering support programs for low-income and vulnerable households). In 2020, the Commonwealth, on behalf of the states and territories, engaged a research consortium — the Group of Energy Efficiency Researchers (GEER) — to undertake the Energy Equity Work Program. It consisted of three phases:
Phase 1 drew on existing data, information and expert opinion to deliver a preliminary understanding of energy hardship in Australia.
Phase 2 involved adding priority information and data to establish a more in-depth understanding of energy hardship in Australia.
Phase 3 involves the collection and analysis of nationally representative data to measure the extent of energy hardship in each jurisdiction and support jurisdictions to review existing measures from an equity perspective.
Consultation documents
If you require assistance accessing or reviewing these documents, please contact energyconsumerpolicy@dcceew.gov.au
The following reports were produced by the independent Group of Energy Equity Researchers (GEER) Consortium who undertook work as part of the Energy Equity Work Program. Together these reports support the proposed framework:
Converlens