After summoning gas suppliers to Canberra earlier in the year, the Prime Minster on Wednesday met with the leaders of retail energy companies in a bid to convince them of the merits of increased competition and decreasing complexity for Australian consumers.
The move, which would see millions of Australians warned by their providers when their discounted electricity plans are set to expire, is expected to save households more than $1,000 per year.
Responding on the stale and unpredictable policy space, the CEO of Origin Energy, Mr Frank Calabria, said, “let’s be clear, to deliver a genuine reduction in prices for Australians we must also find a way through on energy policy, including a Clean Energy Target”.
Joining Origin Energy, other retailers included Energy Australia, Momentum Energy, Simply Energy, Alinta Energy and AGL as well as the Australian Energy Council and Snowy Hydro.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Energy Council, Mr Matthew Warren, appeared to back Origin Energy’s call for greater certainty over energy policy, saying, “recent increases in energy costs are driven by a shortage of supply” in a clear reference to the Clean Energy Target.
The Prime Minister confirmed that the proposed CET?—?one of the recommendations from the Finkel report?—?which is supported by the power companies to give greater investment certainty?—?was discussed at the meeting.
