The Western Australian State Government has allocated $900,000 over three years to support consumer advocacy.
The funding will be used to employ a specialist energy consumer advisor specialist at the Public Utilities Office, and provide financial support for advocacy on energy affordability and pricing and consumer representation.
The funding will support research that strengthens the focus on better outcomes for residential energy customers, including those on concessions and experiencing hardship, and customers in rural and regional areas.
It will help build the state’s energy sector representation within local consumer advocacy organisations such as the Western Australian Council of Social Service and the Financial Counsellors’ Association of Western Australia.
WA Energy Minister, Bill Johnston, said “The $900,000 of funding allocated in the 2019-20 State Budget will create consumer representation focused on the needs of Western Australian energy consumers.
“Increasing support for energy consumer advocacy will not only deliver benefits for Western Australians but also provide important insights into the energy market, and help develop informed regulatory decisions and policies.
“The McGowan Government’s Energy Transformation Strategy will help minimise the costs of the transition to renewable energy technologies; the Distributed Energy Resources Roadmap will be released by the end of 2019.”
