Question Time

Energy Prices

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (15:05): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the minister representing the Minister for Social Inclusion regarding energy retailers and consumers who are experiencing bill payment hardship.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: I note that yesterday the South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS) released the 'Better Practice Guideline for Energy Retailers: A collaborative approach to preventing hardship amongst energy consumers' document. This report results from the November 2014 Hardship and Affordability Conference: Stakeholder Conversations and includes the efforts of a number of stakeholders, including energy companies and community and welfare organisations.

The report notes that South Australia continues to have the nation's highest electricity prices and highest rate of electricity disconnection and the consequential growing concern of chronic financial hardship and stress experienced by vulnerable energy consumers. Some of the hardship policies suggested in the better practice guidelines include: tariff freezes for customers experiencing hardship; pay on time discounts; flexible payment arrangements, including monthly billing cycles; diverse payment options, such as Centrepay; and waiving extra fees and charges, such as late fees.

We also note that New South Wales has an Energy Accounts Payment Assistance Scheme which helps people experiencing short-term financial crisis or emergency to pay their energy or gas bills. My questions to the minister are:

1. Has the minister engaged in this process of developing better practice guidelines with the energy retailers and NGOs in the social justice sector?

2. Will the minister engage with retailers to ensure that they implement the guidelines in the better practice document?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (15:07): I thank the honourable member for her most important questions on the topic of better practice guidelines relating to hardship policies for the energy utilities. I undertake to take that question to the Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion in the other place and seek a response on her behalf.