Following a review of the regulatory framework for electricity retail licensing and exemptions, the State Government is introducing the Alternative Electricity Services (AES) regulatory framework to ensure adequate protections are available for consumers of alternative electricity business models and services.
Legislative amendments to the Electricity Industry Act 2004 to give effect to the AES framework were introduced into Parliament on 15 August 2023, in the form of the Electricity Industry Amendment (Alternative Electricity Services) Bill 2023.
Under the framework, services can be prescribed as an AES by regulations, and providers of those services will need to register and comply with obligations contained in a single code of practice, the Alternative Electricity Services Code (AES Code). The AES Code will be supported by provisions for compliance and enforcement, and a mechanism for resolving disputes between service providers and consumers.
The first services proposed to be considered for prescription under the new framework are:
For more information on the development of AES legislative amendments and proposed prescription of these services please click on the links below.