Submissions

We develop submissions to influence policy and legislative changes that will affect Queensland energy or water consumers.

Our views consider the issues customers are contacting us about through our dispute resolution processes, as well as issues raised during stakeholder engagement and community outreach activities.

Read our previous submissions:

EWOQ welcomes the review of the regulatory framework for metering services and provided a detailed submission based on our experiences as an external dispute resolution scheme.

EWOQ provided a joint submission with EWON, EWOSA and EWOV providing in principle support for the draft decision reached by the AEMC to require the AER to develop a mandatory billing guideline in relation to how retailers prepare and issue bills to small customers.

EWOQ supports the intention of the draft rule and endorses the proposed solution to enable life support customers to receive back and re-utilise their medical confirmation form or other medical confirmation documents when changing retailer or distribution network service provider.

We welcomed the AEMC’s consultation on the rule change request aimed at simplifying energy bills so energy consumers can better understand their bills and get a better deal.

In anticipation of the rollout of the Consumer Data Right in the energy sector, EWOQ contributed to the energy rules framework consultation paper released by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

We both welcome and support the reforms to the National Energy Retail Rules to enable the transfer of medical information between outgoing and incoming life support registration process owners.

We support the reform of the Australian Energy Regulator civil penalty regime rule change to provide for increased civil penalties through the implementation of a three tier penalty structure.

We contributed to the consultation by the AEMC on consumer protections related to new energy products and services.

We welcome the review of the Energy and Water Ombudsman Act 2006 (EWO Act) and contributed to the Regulatory Impact Statement process for Embedded Networks and the EWO Act.

We welcomed the introduction of the Prohibiting Energy Market Misconduct Bill and made a submission to the ACCC’s consultation on the development of the ACCC Guidelines on the Prohibiting Energy Market Misconduct Bill.

We support the introduction of metering coordinator planned interruptions for customers with shared fusing.

We support the Australian Energy Market Commission's proposal to regulate conditional discounting through a rule change.

We wrote a letter of endorsement to the Australian Energy Regulator supporting the customer service incentive scheme.

Read about the rule change

We support the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's draft ‘Guide to the electricity retail code’.

We support the Clean Energy Council and Ors application for the authorisation of a ‘New energy tech consumer code’.

We responded to the Australian Energy Market Commission's draft determination on the National Energy Retail Amendment (Bill Contents - Customers with Interval Meters) Rule 2019.

We support the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy’s review of the National Energy Retail Law in Queensland.

We endorse the Australian Energy Market Commission's ‘Draft report – updating the regulatory frameworks for embedded networks’.

To better serve customers experiencing hardship, we endorse the contents of the Australian Energy Regulator’s ‘Draft customer hardship policy guideline version 1’.

We recognise that Australian Energy Market Commission's rule change ‘National Energy Retail Amendment (Customers with interval meters) Rule 2019’ is an important step in assisting customers to manage their energy usage and reconcile their bills.

We support any change that improves outcomes for customers and so we endorse the draft rule determination ‘Meter installation - advanced meter communications’.

With more consumers adopting stand-alone power systems as an alternative to standard grid supply, we support the Australian Energy Market Commission's ‘Review of regulatory frameworks for stand-alone power systems’.

We agree that the Australian Energy Regulator’s ‘Hardship guideline’ will strengthen protections for consumers in hardship by creating binding information conditions.

We endorse the Australian Energy Regulator’s issues paper on standardised statements for use in customer hardship policies.

We support the draft rule determination on the ‘National Electricity Amendment (Metering installation timeframes) Rule 2018’ and the ‘National Energy Retail Amendment (Metering installation timeframes) Rule 2018’.

We welcome measures to strengthen existing consumer protections and support the Australian Energy Market Commission's draft rule determination on the ‘National Energy Retail Amendment (Strengthening protections for customers in hardship) Rule 2018’.

We agree the Australian Energy Market Commission's new draft rule determination on the ‘National Electricity Amendment (Estimated meter reads) Rule 2018’ balances enhancing consumer protections with maintaining flexibility for retailers to design their own approach.

We contributed to the ‘National Electricity Amendment (Metering installation timeframes) Rule 2018’ and the ‘National Energy Retail Amendment (Metering installation timeframes) Rule 2018’ consultation paper.

See our feedback on the consultation paper on the ‘National Energy Retail Amendment (Strengthening protections for customers in hardship) Rule 2018’.

See our response to the ‘Review of Queensland energy legislation: issues paper’.

See our response to the ‘National Energy Retail Amendment (Preventing discounts on inflated energy rates) Rule 2018’.

See our submission on the Queensland Competition Authority's ‘Review of guaranteed service levels’ to apply from 1 July 2020.

See our feedback on the Australian Energy Regulator’s ‘Benefit change notice guidelines issue paper’.

We welcome the Australian Energy Regulator’s guidelines in the ‘Draft retail pricing information guidelines’.