Bill
Competition and Consumer Amendment (Abolition of Limited Merits Review) Bill 2017
passed, as at 2017-10-30. Environment and Energy portfolio.
- Sponsor
- Not recorded
- Portfolio
- Environment and Energy
Recorded stages
- introduced — 2017-08-10
- second reading — 2017-08-10
- second reading — 2017-09-04
- second reading — 2017-09-05
- second reading — 2017-09-05
- third reading — 2017-09-05
- introduced — 2017-09-05
- second reading — 2017-09-05
- second reading — 2017-10-16
- second reading — 2017-10-16
- third reading — 2017-10-16
- passed — 2017-10-16
- royal assent — 2017-10-30
Divisions
Plain-language summary
Written by a model from the explanatory memorandum; not the record, as at 2017-08-10.
This bill would stop the Australian Competition Tribunal from reviewing most decisions under national energy laws.
It would also ensure the Australian Energy Regulator's decisions cannot be reviewed on their merits by any state or territory body.
The changes follow a 2016 review that found the merits review regime was failing and increasing energy prices.
- The bill removes the Australian Competition Tribunal's power to review decisions under the National Electricity Law, the National Gas Law and the National Energy Retail Law, except for decisions about disclosing confidential or protected information.
- The bill prevents state or territory bodies from conducting merits reviews of Australian Energy Regulator decisions.
- The bill responds to a COAG Energy Council agreement that the merits review regime has failed and raised energy prices.
The Australian Competition Tribunal, the Australian Energy Regulator, and businesses and consumers affected by energy network pricing decisions.
Sources
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