This Supplementary Order Paper amends the Electricity Industry Amendment Bill. It would remove provisions for a Small Electricity Consumers Agency, and provisions that enable the agency to be funded partly through industry participant levies.

The small electricity consumer already has access to a free Utilities Disputes service funded by industry participants. Utilities Disputes deals with disputes between consumers and their electricity and gas providers. All retailers and distributors must belong to the service and are bound by its decisions.

There is no justification for small electricity consumers to have “influence over decisions” where those decisions are by businesses carrying out lawful activities such as the sale and purchase of existing businesses and assets, investments in infrastructure and systems, and entering into agreements between suppliers and their customers.

This aspect of the Bill which establishes a Small Electricity Consumers Agency is unnecessary and should therefore be removed.