Page 2647 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 5 June 2012
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Clause 10 in effect gives power to the Australian Energy Regulator and the Australian Competition Tribunal to act in the ACT. Part 5 gives provisions for how the national law will be implemented in the ACT and states in clause 14 that the ICRC will continue to have responsibility for price direction under the Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission Act 1997. Clause 17 clarifies the applicability of ACT and New South Wales laws at border areas. Clause 21 spells out the ICRC’s obligations to provide information to the AER. I note that in subsection (2) this requirement even applies to information that was given to the ICRC in confidence. Clause 22 extends the AER’s functions and provides for powers to make regulations in the ACT. Part 10 provides for transitional arrangements pertaining to customer contracts, applications for connections and supply, customer hardship, complaints, contravention of licence conditions and exempt sellers.
It is worth noting again that this bill will only see the regulation of non-price retail and non-economic functions shift to the AER. As such, clause 55 on negotiated customer contracts excludes feed-in-tariff contracts from transitional provisions, so they are unaffected by this bill. This is further affirmed by the consequential amendments at part 3.
It is perhaps fitting to remind the chamber at this juncture that Mr Corbell’s initiatives such as the feed-in-tariff scheme are costing residents of the ACT $225 a year on their electricity bill. This is on top of the 85 per cent increase in our electricity bills since ACT Labor formed government. And let us not forget about this government’s support for its federal counterpart’s carbon tax: from July, Canberrans will be slugged an additional $244 on their electricity bill. What is more, the recent introduction of Minister Corbell’s energy efficiency improvement scheme means that Canberra residents are faced with collectively paying up to $1 million a month to foot the bill for ACT Labor’s initiative in this instance. At a time when there are signs that the economy is slowing down, and with the ACT Treasurer having now predicted a budget deficit of around $300 million in the next financial year, Canberra residents are facing annual average electricity bills of above $1,600.
The Canberra Liberals will be supporting the bill and its consequential amendments today. This bill is part of a uniform move towards national regulation. I understand, from the briefing provided to Mr Seselja’s office, that there is support from all the participating jurisdictions. That said, this bill leaves cost-of-living and economic responsibilities to the respective jurisdictions, and it is worth noting that the government’s track record on addressing the cost of living and the management of our economy has been wanting.
I will address the amendments Mr Rattenbury proposes to move at a later stage.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development) (4.20), in reply: I thank members for their support of this bill and the consequential amendments bill. The National Energy Retail Law (ACT) Bill and the National Energy Retail Law (Consequential Amendments) Bill both provide for the adoption of the national energy retail law as a law of the ACT, with some modifications that provide for our specific needs.
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