Under the Retail Law, the AER is responsible for overseeing the national Retailer of last resort (RoLR) scheme. The scheme is principally designed to ensure that in the event of retailer failure, arrangements are in place to ensure that customers continue to receive electricity and/or gas supply. Under the RoLR scheme, the AER must publish the RoLR guidelines, publish the RoLR plan, appoint default RoLRs, maintain and publish a register of RoLRs, appoint designated RoLRs following a RoLR event and make RoLR cost recovery scheme determinations.
On 10 June 2015 the AER released a revised Retailer of Last Resort plan for consultation. The revisions simplify the structure of the plan, amend and clarify some obligations on industry participants and account for Queensland specific requirements in its adoption legislation for the National Energy Customer Framework, which commenced in Queensland on 1 July 2015.
Interested parties were invited to make written submissions on the draft guideline by 17 July 2015.