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Exit Survey
 
 
Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. It should only take you 10 to 15 minutes to complete and your feedback will be used by the AEMC to inform the agenda at the first Consumer Priorities Forum to be held with consumer representatives in Melbourne on the morning of Monday 19th May 2014.

Please be assured that the survey results will be provided to the AEMC on an aggregated basis and your response will not be linked to your name or organisation.

If you have any queries about the Consumer Priorities Forum, please contact Richard Owens, Acting Senior Director, AEMC on 02 8296 7800 or [email protected].

If you have any technical issues with the survey please contact Katherine Rich at Newgate Research on 03 9611 1850 or [email protected].


Please start the survey now by clicking on the Continue button below.

 
 
 
How much would you say you know about the roles and responsibilities of the AEMC?
 
Quite a lot
 
A fair bit
 
Only a little
 
Nothing at all
 
 
 
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Ranking of Issues


We are now going to ask you to rate the importance of a series of issues that are grouped into five sets. The AEMC appreciates this is not an exhaustive list and you will have the opportunity to raise any other issues that are important to you at the end of the survey.
 
 
The first set of issues relates to the impact of rising electricity prices. Where 0 is not at all important, 5 is fairly important and 10 is extremely important, how important do you think it is for consumers that the following issues be discussed at the forum?
Not at all
important
Extremely
important
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Don't
know /
Unsure
* Retailers’ hardship policies
* The high level of disconnections
* Rising debt levels and concerns about the debt policies of retailers and other debt collection issues
* The outcomes of the next round of transmission and distribution revenue determinations
* The need to review energy concessions to ensure that they are up-to-date and appropriately targeted
 
 
The second set of issues relates to retail gas. Where 0 is not at all important, 5 is fairly important and 10 is extremely important, how important do you think it is for consumers that the following issues be discussed at the forum?
Not at all
important
Extremely
important
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Don't
know /
Unsure
* Increases in natural gas prices, particularly where gas is a relatively large component of expenditure and consumers have little ability to alter their usage
* Whether all new residences should be connected to gas
* Potential for programs to provide vulnerable customers with more energy efficient gas appliances
 
 
The third set of issues relates to improving consumer engagement. Where 0 is not at all important, 5 is fairly important and 10 is extremely important, how important do you think it is for consumers that the following issues be discussed at the forum?
Not at all
important
Extremely
important
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Don't
know /
Unsure
* The ability of consumers to understand energy retail offers and choose a retailer or plan that suits their needs
* The ability of consumers to understand and respond to new flexible pricing structures, eg time of use or demand-based charges
* The extent to which some consumers are not currently engaged in the retail market, eg some elderly consumers, CALD communities, customers of resellers (eg caravan parks)
* The extent to which consumers and/or consumer representatives are sufficiently engaged in transmission and distribution network revenue and pricing determinations (recognising both complexity and workload)
* The lack of clarity about whose role it is to improve consumer engagement and education, eg governments, regulators, consumer groups, networks, retailers or all of the above
* Difficulties and delays experienced by consumers who choose to switch retailers
 
 
The fourth set of issues relates to how well the current regulatory arrangements will respond to changes in the market. Where 0 is not at all important, 5 is fairly important and 10 is extremely important, how important do you think it is for consumers that the following issues be discussed at the forum?
Not at all
important
Extremely
important
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Don't
know /
Unsure
* The impact of falling demand
* Potential impacts of new technologies, eg battery storage, consumers going off the grid, decentralisation and potential large-scale use of electric vehicles
* Cross-subsidies between the prices paid by different consumers, eg households with air conditioners, solar, electric vehicles
* Privacy issues arising from new technologies, eg related to smart meter data
* Concerns the current regulatory regime does not appropriately encourage embedded generation or demand side participation
* The impact of retail price deregulation in South Australia, New South Wales and potentially southeast Queensland, and full retail contestability in Tasmania
* Need to improve coordination between various bodies involved in the governance and regulation of the energy market
 
 
And finally, the fifth set of issues relates to ensuring the current consumer energy sector consumer protections are adequate. Where 0 is not at all important, 5 is fairly important and 10 is extremely important, how important do you think it is for consumers that the following issues be discussed at the forum?
Not at all
important
Extremely
important
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Don't
know /
Unsure
* Impact of retail price deregulation and whether the existing consumer protections are adequate in a deregulated environment
* Appropriate regulation of new market participants and new business models, eg solar businesses, metering providers, energy service companies
* The impact of differences between NECF and non-NECF consumer protections and the impact of inconsistent regulatory requirements across the jurisdictions
* Ensuring sufficient clarity in energy businesses’ contracts and advertising and ensuring consumers fully understand what they are agreeing to
* Consumer protections for vulnerable consumers that are supplied by energy resellers, eg consumers in residential parks and some apartments
 
 
 
* Now that you’ve read through the five sets of issues, how would you rate the relative importance of each? Please rank them from most important (1) to least important (5)
The impact of rising electricity prices
Issues relating to retail gas
Improving consumer engagement
How well the current regulatory arrangements will respond to changes in the market
Ensuring the current energy sector consumer protections are adequate

 
 
The 2013 AEMC Strategic Priorities report identified a number of issues to guide the commission work program in relation to its ‘Consumer Priority’. Where 0 is not at all relevant, 5 is fairly relevant and 10 is extremely relevant, to what extent do you think these priorities are still relevant for market development?
Not at all
relevant
Extremely
relevant
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Don't
know /
Unsure
* Empower consumers to participate in regulatory and policy processes
* Improve market information so consumers are better equipped to make energy use choices that are right for them
* Promote efficient competitive markets which provide incentives for retailers to minimise costs and prices, and offer consumers a range of tariffs
* Flexible, cost-reflective electricity prices to help minimise the cost over the long term
 
 
 
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Do you have any final comments you would like to make in relation to this survey, the upcoming forum or the AEMC more broadly? Please be as specific as possible
   
 
 
 
Finally, just some questions about you and your organisation. Providing us with this information will mean that Newgate Research knows you have completed the survey and will not follow-up with you. Just to remind you, these results will be provided to the AEMC on an aggregated basis and your responses will not be linked to your name or organisation.
 
 
 
Name:
   
Organisation Name:
   
 
 
 
* What jurisdiction are you in?
 
ACT
 
Federal
 
NT
 
SA
 
TAS
 
VIC
 
WA
 
NSW
 
QLD