On 3 July 2025, the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) made a more preferable draft retail rule (draft rule). This is in response to a rule change request from the Hon. Chris Bowen MP, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, as Chair of the Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council (ECMC) to improve the application of concessions to bills.  

Submissions are due 14 August 2025.

Our draft determination seeks to increase the number of consumers accessing concessions they are eligible for. It would do this by requiring retailers to, at the point of sign-up:

• inform consumers about the concessions and rebates specifically available in their jurisdiction
• ask consumers if they are eligible for any of those concessions and rebates.  

We also recommend actions by other parties to address barriers consumers face when accessing concessions, including for:

• The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) - to facilitate next steps on the AER’s Game Changer recommendation to remove the onus on customers to provide their concessions information by developing a system that automates the application of concessions. 
• Jurisdictions - to harmonise concessions application requirements and processes.
• The AER - to develop guidance and update guidelines to improve and increase information provision to consumers about concessions.
• Services Australia - to provide more detailed information to consumers when they receive concession cards.  
• DCCEEW - to facilitate the establishment of a cross-agency forum with Jurisdictions, Services Australia and retailers to address process and administrative barriers.

Our draft rule and recommendations were informed by the jurisdictional nature of concession and rebate programs, the diversity of barriers consumers face when accessing concessions, the incentive retailers already have to apply concessions, and our ability to consider tools in addition to rule changes.

Background

We published a consultation paper on 6 February, receiving 21 submissions. Stakeholders largely agreed with the barriers consumers encounter set out in the rule change request.

On 15 May and 19 June 2025, the Commission extended the period of time for making the draft determination to 19 June and then 3 July 2025 under section 2 of6 the NERL.

ECMC Package

The rule change request forms part of the broader ECMC consumer rule change package submitted on 12 and 29 August 2024. The package includes seven rule change requests that together seek to help households access cheaper energy deals, increase support for people experiencing hardship and deliver more protections for consumers.

On 19 June 2025, we published final determinations for the Assisting hardship customers and Improving consumer confidence in energy retail plans rule changes and a draft determination for the Improving the ability to switch to a better offer rule change.