INDEPENDENT PRICING AND REGULATORY TRIBUNAL ACT 1992 - SECT 15 Matters to be considered by Tribunal under this Act

INDEPENDENT PRICING AND REGULATORY TRIBUNAL ACT 1992 - SECT 15

15 Matters to be considered by Tribunal under this Act

(1) In making determinations and recommendations under this Act, the Tribunal is to have regard to the following matters (in addition to any other matters the Tribunal considers relevant)--

(a) the cost of providing the services concerned,

(b) the protection of consumers from abuses of monopoly power in terms of prices, pricing policies and standard of services,

(c) the appropriate rate of return on public sector assets, including appropriate payment of dividends to the Government for the benefit of the people of New South Wales,

(d) the effect on general price inflation over the medium term,

(e) the need for greater efficiency in the supply of services so as to reduce costs for the benefit of consumers and taxpayers,

(f) the need to maintain ecologically sustainable development (within the meaning of section 6 of the Protection of the Environment Administration Act 1991 ) by appropriate pricing policies that take account of all the feasible options available to protect the environment,

(g) the impact on pricing policies of borrowing, capital and dividend requirements of the government agency concerned and, in particular, the impact of any need to renew or increase relevant assets,

(h) the impact on pricing policies of any arrangements that the government agency concerned has entered into for the exercise of its functions by some other person or body,

(i) the need to promote competition in the supply of the services concerned,

(j) considerations of demand management (including levels of demand) and least cost planning,

(k) the social impact of the determinations and recommendations,

(l) standards of quality, reliability and safety of the services concerned (whether those standards are specified by legislation, agreement or otherwise).

(2) In any report of a determination or recommendation made by the Tribunal under this Act, the Tribunal must indicate what regard it has had to the matters set out in subsection (1) in reaching that determination or recommendation.

(3) To remove any doubt, it is declared that this section does not apply to the Tribunal in the exercise of any of its functions under section 12A or under the applied provisions within the meaning of Part 3B.