<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/05/one-in-five-australians-lack-basic-consumer-electricity-protections-research-finds>
"One in five Australians live in areas that lack “basic” consumer electricity
protections, new research has found. These include rules against disconnecting
customers on life support or during periods of extreme hot or cold
temperatures.
Remote and Indigenous communities are disproportionately energy insecure, with
Indigenous communities 15% more likely to not have access to any of the five
consumer protections studied. Most Australians living in the eastern states are
covered by the national energy customer framework, a set of rules that include
these protections.
“Many of these inequities will only become more apparent because of climate
change,” said Michael Klerck, a study co-author from the Tangentyere Research
Hub. “There needs to be a clear-eyed focus on reducing, or at least not
entrenching, existing inequalities.”
The researchers looked at five categories of legal protections – disconnection
protections for customers with life support equipment (medical equipment that
requires electricity) who can’t pay their bills, rules for unplanned
interruptions (guaranteed service levels), mandatory reporting of when
electricity is disconnected, a clear and independent complaint process, and
clear guidelines for rooftop solar connections."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
