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This is a Bill, not an Act. For current law, see the Acts databases.
New South Wales
Electricity and Gas Supply Legislation
Amendment (Retail Price Disclosures
and Comparisons) Bill 2010
Explanatory note
This explanatory note relates to this Bill as introduced into Parliament.
Overview of Bill
The object of this Bill is to establish a price disclosure and comparison scheme in
relation to the supply of electricity and gas to small retail customers.
Outline of provisions
Clause 1 sets out the name (also called the short title) of the proposed Act.
Clause 2 provides for the commencement of the proposed Act on a day or days to be
appointed by proclamation.
Schedule 1 Amendments
Schedule 1.1 [1] amends the Electricity Supply Act 1995 to require a retail supplier
of electricity to provide its pricing information in relation to the supply of electricity
to and by small retail customers, on its website, to any person on request and to the
Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (the Tribunal). The retail supplier
must provide its pricing information free of charge and in accordance with any
guidelines that are issued by the Minister for Energy. The Tribunal is to publish the
b2010-032-31.d11
Electricity and Gas Supply Legislation Amendment (Retail Price Disclosures and
Comparisons) Bill 2010
Explanatory note
pricing information on its website in a form that enables small retail customers to
meaningfully compare the tariffs and charges of different retail suppliers of
electricity. A retail supplier of electricity is required to ensure that its pricing
information is accurate and up to date and is also required to include a link on its
website to the Tribunal's website. The Minister for Energy is to review the scheme
as soon as possible after 1 July 2013 and a report on the outcome of the review is to
be tabled in each House of Parliament before 1 July 2014. Schedule 1.2 [1] amends
the Gas Supply Act 1996 to impose similar requirements in relation to the disclosure
of pricing information that relates to the supply of natural gas to small retail
customers.
Schedule 1.1 [2] and Schedule 1.2 [2] enable regulations to be made under the
Electricity Supply Act 1995 and the Gas Supply Act 1996 containing provisions of a
savings or transitional nature consequent on the enactment of the proposed Act.
Explanatory note page 2
First print
New South Wales
Electricity and Gas Supply Legislation
Amendment (Retail Price Disclosures
and Comparisons) Bill 2010
Contents
Page
1 Name of Act 2
2 Commencement 2
Schedule 1 Amendments 3
b2010-032-31.d11
New South Wales
Electricity and Gas Supply Legislation
Amendment (Retail Price Disclosures
and Comparisons) Bill 2010
No , 2010
A Bill for
An Act to amend the Electricity Supply Act 1995 and the Gas Supply Act 1996 with
respect to the provision and publication of retail pricing information for electricity
and gas.
Electricity and Gas Supply Legislation Amendment (Retail Price Disclosures
Clause 1 and Comparisons) Bill 2010
The Legislature of New South Wales enacts: 1
1 Name of Act 2
This Act is the Electricity and Gas Supply Legislation Amendment 3
(Retail Price Disclosures and Comparisons) Act 2010. 4
2 Commencement 5
This Act commences on a day or days to be appointed by proclamation. 6
Page 2
Electricity and Gas Supply Legislation Amendment (Retail Price Disclosures
and Comparisons) Bill 2010
Amendments Schedule 1
Schedule 1 Amendments 1
1.1 Electricity Supply Act 1995 No 94 2
[1] Section 181A 3
Insert after section 181: 4
181A Retail price disclosure and comparison 5
(1) It is a condition of a retail supplier's licence that the retail 6
supplier must provide its pricing information in relation to the 7
supply of electricity to and by small retail customers: 8
(a) at a readily accessible location on its website, and 9
(b) to any person on request, and 10
(c) to the Tribunal. 11
(2) The Minister may issue guidelines relating to the kind of pricing 12
information to be provided and the time at which and the manner 13
and form in which that pricing information is to be provided. It is 14
a condition of a retail supplier's licence that the retail supplier 15
must provide its pricing information in accordance with any such 16
guidelines that the Minister issues to it from time to time. 17
(3) The Tribunal is to publish the pricing information, in a form that 18
enables small retail customers to meaningfully compare the 19
tariffs and charges of retail suppliers, on its website and in any 20
other manner as it sees fit. 21
(4) It is a condition of a retail supplier's licence that the retail 22
supplier, when providing pricing information, must ensure that: 23
(a) the information is accurate and up to date, and 24
(b) the information is provided free of charge, and 25
(c) the information provided on its website includes a clearly 26
marked link to the Tribunal's website, or if the Tribunal 27
directs that the link be to a specified part of the Tribunal's 28
website, to that specified part. 29
(5) The Minister is to review this section as soon as possible after 30
1 July 2013 to determine whether its policy objectives remain 31
valid and whether its terms remain appropriate for securing those 32
objectives. A report on the outcome of the review is to be tabled 33
in each House of Parliament before 1 July 2014. 34
Page 3
Electricity and Gas Supply Legislation Amendment (Retail Price Disclosures
and Comparisons) Bill 2010
Schedule 1 Amendments
(6) In this section: 1
pricing information means information of a kind (including, but 2
is not limited to, any tariff, charge, fee, benefit, credit, discount, 3
rebate, premium, term or condition) specified in the guidelines 4
issued by the Minister under this section. 5
[2] Schedule 6 Savings, transitional and other provisions 6
Insert at the end of clause 1 (1): 7
Electricity and Gas Supply Legislation Amendment (Retail Price 8
Disclosures and Comparisons) Act 2010, but only to the extent 9
that it amends this Act 10
1.2 Gas Supply Act 1996 No 38 11
[1] Section 76A 12
Insert before section 76: 13
76A Retail price disclosure and comparison 14
(1) It is a condition of a supplier's authorisation that the supplier 15
must provide its pricing information in relation to the supply of 16
natural gas to small retail customers: 17
(a) at a readily accessible location on its website, and 18
(b) to any person on request, and 19
(c) to the Tribunal. 20
(2) The Minister may issue guidelines relating to the kind of pricing 21
information to be provided and the time at which and the manner 22
and form in which that pricing information is to be provided. It is 23
a condition of a supplier's authorisation that the supplier must 24
provide its pricing information in accordance with any such 25
guidelines that the Minister issues to it from time to time. 26
(3) The Tribunal is to publish the pricing information, in a form that 27
enables small retail customers to meaningfully compare the 28
tariffs and charges of suppliers, on its website and in any other 29
manner as it sees fit. 30
(4) It is a condition of a supplier's authorisation that the supplier, 31
when providing pricing information, must ensure that: 32
(a) the information is accurate and up to date, and 33
(b) the information is provided free of charge, and 34
(c) the information provided on its website includes a clearly 35
marked link to the Tribunal's website, or if the Tribunal 36
Page 4
Electricity and Gas Supply Legislation Amendment (Retail Price Disclosures
and Comparisons) Bill 2010
Amendments Schedule 1
directs that the link be to a specified part of the Tribunal's 1
website, to that specified part. 2
(5) The Minister is to review this section as soon as possible after 3
1 July 2013 to determine whether its policy objectives remain 4
valid and whether its terms remain appropriate for securing those 5
objectives. A report on the outcome of the review is to be tabled 6
in each House of Parliament before 1 July 2014. 7
(6) In this section: 8
pricing information means information of a kind (including, but 9
is not limited to, any tariff, charge, fee, benefit, credit, discount, 10
rebate, premium, term or condition) specified in the guidelines 11
issued by the Minister under this section. 12
[2] Schedule 2 Savings, transitional and other provisions 13
Insert at the end of clause 1 (1): 14
Electricity and Gas Supply Legislation Amendment (Retail Price 15
Disclosures and Comparisons) Act 2010, but only to the extent 16
that it amends this Act 17
Page 5
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