The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has today released its Draft Consumer Engagement Guideline for Network Service Providers (Guideline).
This Guideline provides best practice principles and a framework for electricity and gas network service providers to better engage with their consumers. This will guide service providers in developing consumer engagement strategies and approaches to apply across their business and also assist them in preparing spending proposals that reflect the long term interests of their consumers.
The Guideline is the first of a series of guidelines which are being prepared as part of the AER’s Better Regulation Program. The Better Regulation program brings together improvements to our regulatory approach with other important reforms announced by the Prime Minister in December 2012. As part of this program the AER will be consulting on and publishing seven new guidelines that outline our revised approach to determining prices and revenue for energy networks.
Invitation for submissions
Interested parties are invited to make written submissions on this Guideline. Alternatively, consistent with the approach taken during previous consultation for this work stream, we will also accept comments on a more informal basis. Informal comments can be made by email, over the phone, or through consumer forums. All submissions and comments must be made by close of business, 16 August 2013.
Written submissions and informal comments can be sent electronically to: consumerengagement
aer [dot] gov [dot] au (consumerengagement[at]aer[dot]gov[dot]au).
Alternatively, written submissions and comments can also be sent to:
Mr Warwick Anderson
General Manager - Network Regulation
Australian Energy Regulator
GPO Box 3131
CANBERRA ACT 2601
The AER prefers that all submissions be sent in an electronic format in Microsoft Word or other text readable document form and publicly available, to facilitate an informed, transparent and robust consultation process. Accordingly, submissions will be treated as public documents and posted on the AER's website, unless prior arrangements are made with the AER to treat the submission, or portions of it, as confidential. Those wishing to submit confidential information are requested to:
- clearly identify the information that is the subject of the confidentiality claim; and
- provide a non-confidential version of the submission.