If you have concerns about the recent sharp increases in electricity prices you can register your concerns with people and organizations that have responsibilities in these matters. Set out below is a list of people/organizations you can register your concerns with and send complaints to with links to their web sites. Also provided below is a pro forma set of words that may help you in contacting these people. Governments, regulators and other bodies play a significant role in determining your electricity prices and it is your right to contact them and make them aware of your concerns. You can use email, fax, post or telephone but raising issues in writing is generally more effective.
Below is a list of people and bodies you can contact.
Federal Government, Opposition & Members of Parliament
Prime Minister Julia Gillard can be contacted at http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/member.asp?id=83L
The Federal Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson, can be contacted at http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/member.asp?id=LS4 or by email at martin.ferguson.mp@aph.gov.au
You can also contact the Federal Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott at http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/member.asp?id=EZ5 or the Shadow Minister for Energy & Resources, Ian Macfarlane at http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/member.asp?id=WN6.
A list of Federal Members of Parliament (including your local member) can be found here:
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/
State Governments & Members of Parliament
There are six State and two Territory parliaments that make up the federal Commonwealth of Australia.
If you know the name of your local member or State electorate, click on your State or Territory below to find contact details for your State member.
If you don't know the name of your local member or State electorate, you can find out by visiting the Australian Electoral Commission (https://oevf.aec.gov.au/) website - just fill in the details on the AEC page (the page is a safe & secure page on the internet) and it will tell you the name of your State electorate.
All State Premiers, Territory Chief Ministers and State/Territory Energy ministers are listed under each State listing above.
Regulatory bodies
There are several key regulatory bodies operating in the electricity sector that play a key role in setting how and at what level electricity prices are set and you may want to also contact them. They are:
The Australian Energy Regulator (www.aer.gov.au), which regulates electricity markets and network (ie transportation) charges in NSW, Vic, Qld, SA, Tas and the ACT and the Australian Energy Market Commission (www.aemc.gov.au) which sets the rules for the regulation of network charges in these jurisdictions. In Western Australia the regulator is the Economic Regulatory Authority (www.erawa.com.au).
Pro Forma Words (copy and paste, then modify as necessary to suit your circumstances and depending on who the recipient is)
Dear [insert name]
Concerns About Rising Electricity Prices
I/We are writing to you to register our concerns about recent steep increases in electricity prices. My/Our electricity bills have increased by [insert] % over the past [insert] years. Increases of this magnitude along with sharp increases for other essential items have significantly increased my/our cost of living [or cost of doing business if a business]. Moreover, I am/we are very concerned that these increases will continue over the coming year and beyond unless something is done to change the situation.
[useful to insert a paragraph here describing your circumstances and situation]
We are particularly concerned that nearly all the prices increases in electricity being seen are the result of Federal or State policies (eg carbon tax, renewable energy subsidies, rules for determining network charges) and that there is widespread evidence that the setting of charges for transporting electricity is resulting in excessive prices due to high costs, inefficiencies and inflated rates of return. Given that the latter makes up around half the price of electricity to consumers, it is even more disturbing that the pressures for higher electricity transportation charges will not change until at least the second half of this decade. In the meantime, the carbon price and renewable energy subsidies are expected to increase electricity prices.
I/We do not believe that I/we can afford continued electricity price increases and ask that you take urgent action to deal with the causes of this problem that are within your responsibility. I/We look forward to your response outlining how this can be done.
Yours sincerely
[your name]
