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Productivity Commission Amendment (Electricity Reporting)

Current status

This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.

Policy area

Climate, energy & environment

What does this bill do?

Australia would get regular national reporting on retail power prices, giving the public clearer information about electricity costs in every state and territoryThe eight Australian jurisdictions covered by the bill's reporting, meaning the six states plus the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory..

Why was it introduced?

Electricity price and generation data was hard to find in one clear, consolidated form, leaving Australians without easy national comparisons. The bill requires the Productivity CommissionThe federal economics and policy advisory body that this bill would make responsible for collecting and publishing the new electricity reports. to publish and table quarterly reports on retail power prices and electricity sources in every state and territoryThe eight Australian jurisdictions covered by the bill's reporting, meaning the six states plus the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory., including data back to 1 July 2019.

Broader context

Before this bill, electricity price and generation figures existed across different sources, but supporters said Australians could not easily see a single national, regularly updated picture of what power cost in each state and territoryThe eight Australian jurisdictions covered by the bill's reporting, meaning the six states plus the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.. As household bills were set to rise sharply in 2023 and electricity costs became a sharper cost-of-living issue, the bill proposed quarterly Productivity CommissionThe federal economics and policy advisory body that this bill would make responsible for collecting and publishing the new electricity reports. reports to consolidate the data and table it in Parliament, but the Senate rejected it at the second readingThe stage of debate where Parliament decides whether to support a bill in principle; this bill was rejected at that stage. stage.

Key criticism

The main criticism was that the bill gave the Productivity CommissionThe federal economics and policy advisory body that this bill would make responsible for collecting and publishing the new electricity reports. a reporting job that existing energy regulators already do, so it risked creating duplicate reports rather than better consumer information. That case was raised in opposition by Labor and the Greens, with the Greens adding that the idea of clearer price reporting was useful but the Productivity CommissionThe federal economics and policy advisory body that this bill would make responsible for collecting and publishing the new electricity reports. was the wrong body to deliver it.

Who supported it?

Senator Jonathon Duniam introduced this bill. It was supported by Liberal Party, Nationals, One Nation, Jacqui Lambie Network, some crossbenchThe senators and members who are not in the main government or opposition parties, whom supporters tried to persuade to back the bill. members; opposed by Labor, Greens, some crossbenchThe senators and members who are not in the main government or opposition parties, whom supporters tried to persuade to back the bill. members; and did not pass.

Introduced in Senate 22 Mar 2023
Defeated at second reading in Senate 03 Aug 2023
Did not reach House —
Did not become law —

Did it become law?

No

The bill did not complete passage through Parliament.

Final passage

Did not pass

1 recorded vote before the bill stopped proceeding

Time before failure

134 days

From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding

Official record

View on APH

Parliament of Australia bill page

Meaning

What does this bill do?

  1. Australia would get regular national reporting on retail power prices, giving the public clearer information about electricity costs in every state and territoryThe eight Australian jurisdictions covered by the bill's reporting, meaning the six states plus the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory..

  2. The Productivity CommissionThe federal economics and policy advisory body that this bill would make responsible for collecting and publishing the new electricity reports. would have to produce a report every quarterA three-month reporting period, with the bill using standard calendar quarters starting on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October. on electricity prices and where electricity is generated from, with each report tabled in ParliamentOfficially presented to Parliament so it becomes part of the public record and can be examined by senators and members..

  3. The Productivity CommissionThe federal economics and policy advisory body that this bill would make responsible for collecting and publishing the new electricity reports. would be given an ongoing job to report to the minister on retail electricity prices and electricity generation sources across all eight Australian jurisdictions.

  4. Each quarterly report would have to estimate how much electricity in each state and territoryThe eight Australian jurisdictions covered by the bill's reporting, meaning the six states plus the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. came from each energy sourceThe fuel or generation type used to make electricity, such as coal, gas or hydro, which the bill would require the reports to estimate., even if some original data is incomplete.

  5. The first report would not only cover the latest quarterA three-month reporting period, with the bill using standard calendar quarters starting on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October. but also include quarterly electricity price and generation data going back to 1 July 2019.

Show source excerpts
  1. The main purpose of this Bill is to improve the quality and availability of energy-related statistics across Australia. It is aimed at providing Australians with greater information, and transparency, about the rates of current and past retail electricity prices in each State and Territory.
    Productivity Commission Amendment (Electricity Reporting) explanatory memorandum
  2. If passed, the Bill will require the Productivity Commission to create new reports on these prices, as well as the respective sources from which electricity is being generated, for each quarter. It will also ensure that each of these reports is then tabled in the Parliament.
    Productivity Commission Amendment (Electricity Reporting) explanatory memorandum
  3. 5. This item inserts paragraph 6(1)(fa), which provides that reporting to the Minister on retail electricity pricing, and sources of electricity generation, in each of the eight States and Territories of Australia is a function of the Productivity Commission.
    Productivity Commission Amendment (Electricity Reporting) explanatory memorandum
  4. 8. Subsection (4) provides that the report must set out an estimate of the percentage of electricity generated from each energy source. This subsection provides the Productivity Commission with the flexibility to display the most accurate practicable information in relation to the percentage of electricity generated by source. This is because there may be circumstances in which it is unable to access every element of the original data necessary to ensure that this calculation is fully precise.
    Productivity Commission Amendment (Electricity Reporting) explanatory memorandum
  5. 12. Subitem 4(2) stipulates that the first such report under section 22A must also contain the statistical information for each quarter dating back to, and including, the quarter beginning on 1 July 2019.
    Productivity Commission Amendment (Electricity Reporting) explanatory memorandum

Context

Broader context for this bill

Before this bill, electricity price and generation figures existed across different sources, but supporters said Australians could not easily see a single national, regularly updated picture of what power cost in each state and territoryThe eight Australian jurisdictions covered by the bill's reporting, meaning the six states plus the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.. As household bills were set to rise sharply in 2023 and electricity costs became a sharper cost-of-living issue, the bill proposed quarterly Productivity CommissionThe federal economics and policy advisory body that this bill would make responsible for collecting and publishing the new electricity reports. reports to consolidate the data and table it in Parliament, but the Senate rejected it at the second readingThe stage of debate where Parliament decides whether to support a bill in principle; this bill was rejected at that stage. stage.

  1. 22 Mar 2023

    Bill introduced to create national electricity reporting

    The explanatory memorandum and second readingThe stage of debate where Parliament decides whether to support a bill in principle; this bill was rejected at that stage. speech said electricity price data was hard to view in a clear consolidated form, so the bill would require quarterly Productivity CommissionThe federal economics and policy advisory body that this bill would make responsible for collecting and publishing the new electricity reports. reports on prices and generation sources across all jurisdictions.

    Australian Parliament House ↗
  2. 25 May 2023

    Regulators approve household power bill rises of up to 25 per cent

    The Australian Financial Review reported that final regulator determinations meant household electricity prices would rise by as much as 25 per cent from 1 July 2023, sharpening attention on power costs.

    Australian Financial Review ↗
  3. 14 June 2023

    Senators argue the scattered data makes rising power costs harder to judge

    During second readingThe stage of debate where Parliament decides whether to support a bill in principle; this bill was rejected at that stage. debate, supporters said Australians were paying much more for electricity while the information needed to compare prices nationally was still scattered across different sources.

    Hansard ↗
  4. 03 Aug 2023

    Senate rejects the bill at the second readingThe stage of debate where Parliament decides whether to support a bill in principle; this bill was rejected at that stage.

    The second readingThe stage of debate where Parliament decides whether to support a bill in principle; this bill was rejected at that stage. was negatived, so the proposed new requirement for the Productivity CommissionThe federal economics and policy advisory body that this bill would make responsible for collecting and publishing the new electricity reports. to publish and table quarterly electricity reports did not proceed.

    Parliamentary timeline ↗

Legislative route

How did it move through Parliament?

House Senate
Introduced 22 Mar 2023

The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.

Introduced and read a first time

Second readingThe stage of debate where Parliament decides whether to support a bill in principle; this bill was rejected at that stage. opened 22 Mar 2023

A minister or sponsoring member moved the second readingThe stage of debate where Parliament decides whether to support a bill in principle; this bill was rejected at that stage., opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.

Second readingThe stage of debate where Parliament decides whether to support a bill in principle; this bill was rejected at that stage. moved

Second readingThe stage of debate where Parliament decides whether to support a bill in principle; this bill was rejected at that stage. debate 10 May 2023

The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.

Second readingThe stage of debate where Parliament decides whether to support a bill in principle; this bill was rejected at that stage. debate 14 June 2023

The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.

Second readingThe stage of debate where Parliament decides whether to support a bill in principle; this bill was rejected at that stage. debate 03 Aug 2023

The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.

Second readingThe stage of debate where Parliament decides whether to support a bill in principle; this bill was rejected at that stage. defeated 03 Aug 2023

The Senate voted against the second readingThe stage of debate where Parliament decides whether to support a bill in principle; this bill was rejected at that stage., so the bill did not proceed past this stage.

Second readingThe stage of debate where Parliament decides whether to support a bill in principle; this bill was rejected at that stage. negatived

Key criticism

The main case against this bill

The main criticism was that the bill gave the Productivity CommissionThe federal economics and policy advisory body that this bill would make responsible for collecting and publishing the new electricity reports. a reporting job that existing energy regulators already do, so it risked creating duplicate reports rather than better consumer information. That case was raised in opposition by Labor and the Greens, with the Greens adding that the idea of clearer price reporting was useful but the Productivity CommissionThe federal economics and policy advisory body that this bill would make responsible for collecting and publishing the new electricity reports. was the wrong body to deliver it.

Criticism focused on duplication and agency fit, not on opposing public electricity data itself.

Duplicates existing reporting

Critics argued the bill was unnecessary because the ACCCThe national consumer and competition regulator, mentioned because critics said it already publishes some electricity price information. and the Australian Energy RegulatorThe regulator that oversees parts of the energy market and already produces electricity price reporting, according to the criticism of duplication. already publish electricity price reporting, so adding the Productivity CommissionThe federal economics and policy advisory body that this bill would make responsible for collecting and publishing the new electricity reports. would create another layer of reporting without fixing the underlying problem.

Raised by Labor senators, especially Louise Pratt Source ↗

Wrong agency for consumer-facing information

The Greens said better electricity price information could help, but argued the Productivity CommissionThe federal economics and policy advisory body that this bill would make responsible for collecting and publishing the new electricity reports. was not the right body to provide public-facing energy information and that the bill was being used as a substitute for more meaningful transparency.

Raised by The Australian Greens, especially Penny Allman-Payne Source ↗

Further sources

parlinfo.aph.gov.au ↗ parlinfo.aph.gov.au ↗

Votes

Recorded votes

How the bill itself passed

These were the main recorded votes on the bill.

Defeated

Senate cleared second reading

Aye 29 No 30

Defeated 29 to 30. Support came from Liberal Party, Nationals, One Nation, Jacqui Lambie Network, and minor parties and independents. Opposition came from Labor and Greens. Minor-party and independent votes were split.

03 Aug 2023

Party Recorded votes Aye / No
Labor 0 / 18
Liberal Party 16 / 0
Greens 0 / 9
Unknown 5 / 3
Nationals 3 / 0
One Nation 2 / 0
Independent 1 / 0
Jacqui Lambie Network 1 / 0
UAP 1 / 0

These are votes on the bill itself rather than amendment votes.

Parliamentary debate

Who spoke, and what they said

Start here — lead voices

Sponsor speech Supports

Jonathon Duniam

Liberal Party • Senator 22 Mar 2023

Duniam supports the bill and urges the government, crossbenchThe senators and members who are not in the main government or opposition parties, whom supporters tried to persuade to back the bill. and independents to back it because he says it would improve national reporting on electricity prices, generation and transparency.

Read in Hansard ↗
Lead opposing voice Opposes

Louise Pratt

Australian Labor Party • Senator 14 June 2023

Pratt says Labor opposes the bill because it is pointless duplication: the ACCCThe national consumer and competition regulator, mentioned because critics said it already publishes some electricity price information. and the Australian Energy RegulatorThe regulator that oversees parts of the energy market and already produces electricity price reporting, according to the criticism of duplication. already report on electricity prices, so the Productivity CommissionThe federal economics and policy advisory body that this bill would make responsible for collecting and publishing the new electricity reports. does not need another reporting role.

Read in Hansard ↗
Lead supporting voice Supports

Malcolm Roberts

Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party • Senator 14 June 2023

Roberts supports the bill because he says it will give the public, media and parliament better data on electricity prices and expose the harm he blames on climate and energy policy.

Read in Hansard ↗
Lead voice Supports

Hollie Hughes

Liberal Party • Senator 10 May 2023

Hollie Hughes supports the bill because she says Australians should have transparency about where their electricity comes from and whether claims about cheap renewable power are true.

Read in Hansard ↗

All speeches by bloc

Labor

1 speaker · 1 oppose

  1. Louise Pratt ★ Pratt says Labor opposes the bill because it is pointless duplication: the ACCCThe national consumer and competition regulator, mentioned because critics said it already publishes some electricity price information. and the Australian Energy RegulatorThe regulator that oversees parts of the energy market and already produces electricity price reporting, according to the criticism of duplication. already report on electricity prices, so the Productivity CommissionThe federal economics and policy advisory body that this bill would make responsible for collecting and publishing the new electricity reports. does not need another reporting role.
    “It requires the Productivity Commission to table a report on electricity prices for each state. The ACCC already collects this data. This is indeed a pointless piece of legislation before us. There are already multiple avenues for ascertaining energy prices across the nation.”

    Australian Labor Party • Senator • 14 June 2023

    Read the full speech in Hansard ↗

Coalition

11 speakers · 13 contributions · 11 support

  1. Jonathon Duniam ★ 2 contributions Jonathon Duniam supports the bill and says it would improve transparency and accountability by requiring regular, consolidated reporting on electricity prices and generation.

    Hansard records 2 separate contributions by Jonathon Duniam on this bill. They are grouped here so the speaker is listed once.

    Second reading speech Liberal Party • Senator • 22 Mar 2023

    Duniam supports the bill and urges the government, crossbenchThe senators and members who are not in the main government or opposition parties, whom supporters tried to persuade to back the bill. and independents to back it because he says it would improve national reporting on electricity prices, generation and transparency. He argues Australians need clearer, consolidated information on power costs and criticises Labor for failing to deliver accountability on energy and cost of living.

    “I therefore look forward to the backing of the Government, as well as of the crossbench parties and independents, for this legislation.”
    Read this contribution in Hansard ↗

    Second reading speech Liberal Party • Senator • 10 May 2023

    Jonathon Duniam supports the bill and says it would improve transparency and accountability by requiring regular, consolidated reporting on electricity prices and generation. He argues that Australians need clearer evidence of what energy policy is doing to power bills, and he urges the Senate to pass it.

    “So I commend this bill to the Senate. I am hopeful that my friends over here in government and I am certainly hopeful that the Greens will find their way to supporting this bill given it provides further transparency around sources of generation and energy cost.”
    Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
  2. Hollie Hughes ★ Hollie Hughes supports the bill because she says Australians should have transparency about where their electricity comes from and whether claims about cheap renewable power are true.
    “But going to Senator Duniam's bill, I actually don't even know, from Senator Ayres's contribution, whether or not you're supporting it. I mean, it was just bizarre. It's a yes or no, really. That could have helped. It was really just a speech that went around in circles on a whole range of issues but not one about the actual bill. Why would you not give Australians access to transparency? Why would you not give Australians the opportunity to see where their power is coming from? And by putting these sorts of things in place, every government going forward—we know the hubris of Senator Farrell that apparently this Labor government is never going to lose ever, but we know that's not the case; that will happen one day, Senator Farrell—is going to have to table something from the Productivity Commission showing where Australia's energy mix is coming from so that we and the Australian public can see: is this talk about cheaper renewables powering our economy forward, and that we're apparently going to be some renewable energy superpower in a minute and a half—all overnight, according to Senator Ayres, all easy, all coming quick—really true? Australians will be able to see whether you're telling them the truth.”

    Liberal Party • Senator • 10 May 2023

    Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
  3. Gerard Rennick Rennick supports the bill and says it is needed to track electricity costs more accurately so the parliament can hold renewables and power prices to account.
    “I commend this bill to the Senate—a brilliant bill that will lift productivity and hold the cost of electricity and renewables to account.”

    Liberal Party • Senator • 14 June 2023

    Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
  4. Susan McDonald Susan McDonald supports the bill and says it would improve transparency by requiring regular, national reporting on electricity prices and generation.
    “I stand today to strongly support the progression of this private senator's bill on electricity reporting. The rationale behind the Productivity Commission Amendment (Electricity Reporting) Bill 2023 is straightforward, as it is aimed purely at creating more accessible, better consolidated public information and reporting on electricity prices and generation in Australia.”

    National Party • Senator • 03 Aug 2023

    Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
  5. Dean Smith Dean Smith supports the bill and says it is a modest but constructive step to improve transparency and reporting on electricity prices.
    “The productivity one is by far the most important and the most urgent because, put simply, improvements in productivity in Australia improve living standards for Australians. Anything that reverses productivity gains, anything that diminishes productivity across the Australian economy dampens or worsens the living standards for Australians today and, importantly, also for the children and grandchildren of Australians into the future. So it's productivity that is the core and most immediate challenge facing the government, indeed facing the whole country, and I'll come to why this modest improvement presented in this private senators bill is necessary and, while modest, would be a very constructive addition to our transparency and reporting over energy prices.”

    Liberal Party • Senator • 03 Aug 2023

    Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
  6. Richard Colbeck Colbeck supports the bill and urges the government to back it, saying it would give Australians a trusted single source of electricity price information.
    “I would urge the government to reconsider their position and support this piece of legislation. It's very simple. It's not controversial. It doesn't need to be political, but the government really doesn't want you to know.”

    Liberal Party • Senator • 03 Aug 2023

    Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
  7. David Van Van supports the bill and says it would give Australians regular, transparent reporting on electricity prices and generation, which he argues is needed to hold governments accountable and expose rising power bills.
    “If this bill is passed—and I commend it to the Senate—it is not just the Albanese Labor government that will be held to account for broken promises and lies to the Australian people; all future governments will be as well. I think senators in this chamber will agree with me that this is a positive outcome.”

    Liberal Party • Senator • 14 June 2023

    Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
  8. James McGrath James McGrath supports the bill and says the opposition will back it because it would make electricity prices and generation sources more transparent, helping families, businesses and policymakers in a cost-of-living crisis.
    “As I said before, what Senator Duniam's bill proposes is very, very simple. It just requires the Productivity Commission to compile quarterly reports on retail electricity prices as well as the sources from which electricity is being generated for each state and territory.”

    Liberal National Party • Senator • 03 Aug 2023

    Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
  9. Slade Brockman Brockman supports the bill and says it would give Australians a clearer, centralised picture of electricity prices and generation.
    “To get back to the bill, we do need to see more transparency and a consolidated place where all Australians can see and understand what is happening in the energy markets. There is great change happening in the energy markets—there's no doubt about that—and a lot of those changes have been a factor in the massive energy costs that we have seen. This bill is only fair to the people of Australia and to the small businesses of Australia, particularly the small businesses of Australia that do have high energy needs. There are small IGAs and supermarkets in my home state of Western Australia and right across Australia that, because of their freezers and because they stay open 24/7, have extraordinarily high energy costs—in the tens of thousands and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars. Those are the businesses that are under extraordinary pressure, and in shedding light on the situation as we move forward with the further changes to the energy grid that are foreshadowed we need to provide as much transparency and openness to the market as we possibly can. Why anyone would oppose this bill is beyond me, and I commend it to the chamber.”

    Liberal Party • Senator • 10 May 2023

    Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
  10. Paul Scarr Paul Scarr supports the bill and says it would give electricity consumers a single source of truth and better transparency, which he argues is needed to hold the government to account on rising power bills.
    “I commend Senator Duniam with respect to this private senator's bill. We need to provide a single source of truth to electricity consumers. There needs to be transparency and there needs to be accountability—accountability which should be linked back to the promise that was made by Mr Albanese 97 times when he was in opposition to reduce household energy bills by $275 a year. That was the promise made. There should be a vehicle to hold the government to account with respect to its broken promise, and this private senator's bill provides exactly that.”

    Liberal Party • Senator • 14 June 2023

    Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
  11. Matt O'Sullivan 2 contributions Matt O'Sullivan supports the bill and urges senators to pass it because he says more public reporting on electricity prices and generation would improve transparency and accountability and help address cost-of-living pressures.

    Hansard records 2 separate contributions by Matt O'Sullivan on this bill. They are grouped here so the speaker is listed once.

    Second reading speech Liberal Party • Senator • 10 May 2023

    Matt O'Sullivan supports the bill and urges senators to pass it because he says more public reporting on electricity prices and generation would improve transparency and accountability and help address cost-of-living pressures. He argues that Australians need clearer information about the drivers of higher power bills and the energy mix behind them.

    “Energy is a key part of our economy. It's a key part of addressing the cost-of-living pressures that Australians are facing. Providing some transparency and some light on this issue would be critical, so I encourage senators to think about this bill and support it.”
    Read this contribution in Hansard ↗

    Second reading speech Liberal Party • Senator • 14 June 2023

    Matt O'Sullivan supports the bill because he says it would improve transparency around the input costs driving electricity prices and help ease cost-of-living pressure. He argues the government's current approach does not fix the structural problems in the energy market.

    “This bill seeks to provide one measure that could be put in place to provide some transparency over the input costs that are impacting people's energy bills. It's one way that we could address the cost of living. I encourage the government to seriously look at this fantastic private senator's bill that Senator Duniam has put forward. It goes a long way, a not insignificant way, to helping to bring down the cost of living by providing some transparency to, by shedding some light on, an issue that Australians are facing, and that is of course the increased costs of energy.”
    Read this contribution in Hansard ↗

Greens

1 speaker · 1 oppose

  1. Penny Allman-Payne Allman-Payne says the Greens will oppose the bill because, although better electricity-price reporting would be useful, the Productivity CommissionThe federal economics and policy advisory body that this bill would make responsible for collecting and publishing the new electricity reports. is the wrong body to provide consumer-facing information.
    “The Greens won't be supporting this bill. The purported purpose of this bill has merit, and publishing more information on electricity prices and generation on a more regular basis would be a good thing. But in our view the Productivity Commission is simply the wrong agency for this task.”

    Australian Greens • Senator • 10 May 2023

    Read the full speech in Hansard ↗

One Nation

1 speaker · 1 support

  1. Malcolm Roberts ★ Roberts supports the bill because he says it will give the public, media and parliament better data on electricity prices and expose the harm he blames on climate and energy policy.
    “Senator Duniam's bill will help the debate. This bill will give the public, the media and the politicians the data we need to prove that climate crazies and their energy vandalism are making life miserable for everyday Australians for no damn reason other than control of people—for no environmental benefit. Indeed, it will damage the environment catastrophically, as people desperate for warmth will return to wood fires, as they have been in Victoria. One Nation will support this bill because One Nation likes and spreads truth, because One Nation likes to empower people, because One Nation likes to free people to make informed choices, which they can't do at the moment.”

    Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party • Senator • 14 June 2023

    Read the full speech in Hansard ↗

Record

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