The recent change of leadership at the Federal
Government level and subsequent abandonment of the National Energy
Guarantee has thrown new focus on the ACCC's Report on Retail
Electricity Pricing1 issued in June this
year.
The Federal Government says it "is implementing a number of
key recommendations from the ACCC inquiry,"2 and
has also foreshadowed a Royal Commission into electricity
prices.3
The ACCC made 56 recommendations which, if implemented, would
result in substantial structural and regulatory change to the
National Energy Market (NEM). Whilst the recommendations need to be
considered as a whole, there is one area which has recently
received attention from the Federal Government and key industry
participants, namely the proposal that the Federal Government
provide financial support for new renewable energy projects.
