The proposed National Energy Retail Law requires that a person wishing to sell energy must hold a retailer authorisation or have an exemption from that requirement. The AER is responsible for administering retail exemptions, and is required to develop a guideline about retail exemptions and develop classes of exemptions. The AER will also be able to issue individual exemptions. The type of person who might seek a retail exemption might be, for example, a caravan park owner, shopping centre operator, landlord or body corporate.
The AER has published a consultation paper (including draft determinations of class exemptions) and a draft Exempt Selling Guideline. The paper and draft guideline are available at the AER's website.
The AER invites written submissions by 4 February 2011. Submissions should be sent to AERInquiry
aer [dot] gov [dot] au (AERInquiry[at]aer[dot]gov[dot]au). The subject of the email should state “Submission to exempt selling guideline: attention Pip Dodgson”.
The AER will hold a stakeholder forum to discuss exemptions on the afternoon of Wednesday 15 December 2010. The forum will be convened from Brisbane, but there will be video conference links to all capital cities in participating jurisdictions. For those in Brisbane, the time will be from 1pm to 4pm. For those in Sydney, Hobart, Melbourne and Canberra, the time will be 2pm to 5pm. For those in Adelaide, the time will be 1.30pm to 4.30pm.
To register your participation at the forum, please send an email to AERInquiryaer [dot] gov [dot] au (AERInquiry[at]aer[dot]gov[dot]au) by 10am on 13 December 2010, indicating the city in which you will attend. The subject of the email should state “Registration for Retail Exemptions stakeholder forum: attention Pip Dodgson”. Registration for the forum is essential as spaces are limited. Stakeholders are asked to nominate no more than one participant each. A draft agenda for the forum is available at the AER's website. A final agenda will be circulated once registration closes.