Our pathway to 2022 recognises that the decisions we make and the actions we take in performing our regulatory roles and other activities affect a wide range of individuals, businesses and organisations. For this reason, contributions from stakeholders are a central part of our review process. The 2018 review was informed by significant contributions from stakeholder reference groups.

There will be three broad stakeholder reference groups involved in the development of the 2022 Rate of Return Instrument.

We restarted the Consumer Reference Group (CRG) in June 2020 following a call for expressions of interest and a selection process; find out more about its role and membership.

The Retailer Reference Group (RRG) is made up of energy retail companies who nominate representatives to attend meetings and convey their perspectives. A secondary representative can also be nominated in the case that the primary representative cannot attend a meeting.

The role of the RRG is to provide direct and ongoing feedback to the AER during instrument development, and to facilitate broader stakeholder participation and engagement, reflecting retailer perspectives. RRG members attend discussions with AER staff, provide submissions at relevant stages, and contribute to our workshops and forums.

In 2020, the RRG met on 22 July, 2 September, 22 October and 2 December. In 2021, the RRG met on 3 February, 17 March, 19 May, 25 August, 12 October and 7 December. In 2022, the RRG met on 1 March, 16 May, 5 July, 16 August and 9 November.

A high-level record of each RRG meeting and terms of reference can be found below.

The Investor Reference Group (IRG) is made up of member companies from a range of investing firms who nominate representatives to attend meetings and convey their perspectives. A secondary representative can also be nominated in case that the primary representative cannot attend a meeting.

The role of the IRG is to provide direct and ongoing feedback to the AER during instrument development, and to facilitate broader stakeholder participation and engagement, reflecting investor perspectives. IRG members attend discussions with AER staff, provide submissions at relevant stages, and contribute to our workshops and forums.

In 2020, the IRG met on 23 July, 3 September, 22 October and 2 December. In 2021, the IRG met on 4 February, 18 March, 20 May, 26 August, 14 October and 8 December. In 2022, the IRG met on 2 March, 18 May, 5 July, 18 August and 16 November.

A high-level record of each IRG meeting and terms of reference can be found below.