Government rolls out changes to power pricing rules
The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) announced new rules today that will bar energy retailers from raising prices more than once per year for most people and remove fees for vulnerable customers, among other changes meant to help Australians find better energy deals.
While the changes don’t address the base price of energy, the bulk of most power bills, they will provide more information for consumers to make better choices about their providers. The changes include:
-
Customers cannot be charged higher prices for their loyalty and will pay no more than the standing offer price if their plan changes or expires.
-
The removal of unreasonably high penalties for not paying bills on time.
-
Restrict price increases in market retail contract from more than once every 12 months.
-
Prohibit fees for vulnerable customers and limit fees and charges to reasonable costs for others.
The chair of AEMC, Anna Collyer, said:
These reforms will help ensure that Australian households can have greater confidence in their energy plans and that those experiencing financial difficulty receive appropriate support.
Key events
‘Small group’ of Australians have left Israel during ‘fluid’ situation, Wong says
Sarah Basford Canales
A “small group” of Australians have gotten out of Israel via land crossing as the number of passport holders requiring help to leave the region nears 3,000.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, told ABC Breakfast this morning the Department of Foreign Affairs had assisted the stranded Australians overnight, describing the ongoing situation as “fluid”. As of Thursday morning, about 1,500 Australians in Iran have registered with Dfat’s portal for assistance leaving the country while there are 1,200 in Israel.
All commercial flights in Israel and Iran remain grounded and local embassies have shut.
Wong said the situation on the ground was “very difficult”:
Obviously, the situation on the ground is fluid. Iran is a, is a very complicated situation, a very risky situation. I think we all know that our travel advice remains the same, and that it is that people, if you are able to leave safely, you should do so. If not, shelter in place.
Australians in need of emergency consular assistance can contact the Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 (if you’re overseas) and 1300 555 135 (in Australia).
Man arrested after Toyota LandCruiser drives through shopping centre in Melbourne
A man has been arrested after a Toyota LandCruiser was driven through a shopping centre in Melbourne’s Preston neighbourhood to avoid police yesterday.
Victoria police said a man, 27, was arrested in East Melbourne around 8.30am this morning. He will be interviewed by detectives at a later point. Police said an electronic key reprogramming tool was also seized during the arrest.
Officials responded to the shopping centre yesterday amid reports an allegedly stolen vehicle was parked outside. Police allege they tried to corner the vehicle and block it in a car park, before the driver took “evasive action” and drove through the middle of the centre.
No one was injured and no police firearms were discharged during the incident.
Adeshola Ore
Victoria’s crime rate jumps by more than 15%
Victoria’s crime rate has increased by more than 15%, driven by a sharp rise in theft and repeat offending. The state’s Crime Statistics Agency released the figure for the 12 months to 31 March 2015 this morning, placing further pressure on the Allan government over its law and order policies.
The rate of recorded offences increased by 15.2% when taking into account the state’s population. This equates to 8,838.7 recorded offences per 100,000 Victorians in the past 12 months. Property and deception offences had the largest increases.
Victoria police recorded 474,937 criminal incidents in the 12-month period – up more than 20% compared with the same period last year, the figures show.
The agency’s chief statistician Fiona Dowsley said:
Theft offences have continued to rise sharply, with nearly a quarter of a million offences recorded in the last year. Increases were largest for thefts from motor vehicles and retail stores, with many of these offences linked to repeat offending.
In a statement, Victoria police said the impact of the “first tranche” of the Allan government’s bail crackdown was not evident in the statistics because it only came into effect on 28 March 2025.
Three charged over alleged $10m scheme to sell counterfeit luxury goods on social media
NSW police charged three people yesterday as part of an alleged $10m scheme to sell counterfeit luxury goods on social media. Investigators allege the group made about $9.75m in profits, building a “multimillion-dollar empire by deceiving consumers and undermining legitimate businesses”, detective superintendent Peter Faux said.
Members with the organised crime squad conducted search warrants at three properties in Sydney’s west. They seized nine cars worth about $3m, more than 500 counterfeit luxury items, $270,000 in cash and a gel blaster firearm.
Three were arrested, two 30-year-old men and another man, 33. They have been charged with dealing with property proceeds of crime, recklessly dealing in proceeds of general crime with the intent to conceal, participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity, among other charges.
Faux with NSW police alleged:
Behind the filters and followers was a sophisticated criminal enterprise exploiting digital platforms to sell counterfeit luxury goods.
Josh Butler
Wong says negotiations should continue amid worries of regional escalation
Wong said Australia agreed with Trump in saying negotiations should continue. She added:
First, we agree with president Trump, nothing is too late, Iran has a choice here and the choice should be to return to the table and engage in dialogue and diplomacy. We see the situation there and as tough as their words might be, I think we all know the situation that they face and it’s time for them to return to the table.
Obviously, in relation to the region more broadly, what we have always been concerned about is the risk of regional escalation, of this conflict getting larger, spreading, the consequences for all the peoples of the region and more broadly, the globe.
Asked what Australia would do if asked for help by the United States, Wong responded: “We’re not a central player in the Middle East, obviously. We’re a long way from this conflict.” She went on:
But it does affect, as you know, regional stability and global stability. It also affects Australians. And I do want to say … I really feel for the many Australians who have family, relatives in Israel and Iran and the region more broadly.
And as well, of course, we are focused on those Australians who are in Israel and Iran and who have registered with us seeking consular assistance. That’s my focus right now.
Josh Butler
Penny Wong says it’s not too late for Iran to come to negotiating table
Penny Wong says it is not too late for Iran to return to the negotiating table and avoid a wider conflict in the Middle East. The foreign affairs minister said she was concerned about the war spilling into the wider region and affecting people around the world.
But Wong wouldn’t say how Australia would respond if Donald Trump asked for help in any US military involvement in the conflict, saying Australia was “a long way from this conflict”.
Wong joined Sunrise this morning on Channel Seven, where she again voiced alarm about the Middle East situation. She said:
The world does certainly face a dangerous moment. But our message to Iran, along with so many countries of the world, is it’s time to stop any nuclear program and it’s time to come to the table.
Iran must return to the table and it must stop any production of nuclear weapons.
Stolen vehicle recovered after being driven through shopping centre in Melbourne
Victoria police recovered a stolen Toyota LandCruiser after the vehicle was driven through a shopping centre in Melbourne’s Preston neighbourhood yesterday afternoon.
Officers initially responded to reports of an allegedly stolen car at the centre around 4pm on Wednesday and attempted to block it in at an outdoor car park. The LandCruiser then took what was described as “evasive action”, driving through the middle of the shopping centre.
No one was injured, although one woman was taken to the hospital in shock. Officials found the LandCruiser dumped in the suburb of Northcote about an hour later, which they believe was stolen on 2 June.
Cait Kelly
Some young carers more likely to be behind peers in literacy and numeracy, study finds
Young people who care for a member of their household at age 14-15 years are more likely to be behind their peers in literacy and numeracy, and to experience financial hardship, according to a new report from the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS). The research is based on data from Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), which has been following 10,000 children since 2004.
Young male carers were also, after controlling for a wide range of factors, around 1.5 years behind their peers in reading and 1.4 years behind in numeracy, and young female carers were 0.8 years behind in reading compared with their peers.
Compared with their peers, adolescents who care for a household member at least five hours per week were more likely to live in a jobless household from a young age, have significantly lower levels of household income throughout their childhood, and experience financial hardship.
Ben Edwards at Australian National University, who completed the research while at AIFS, said the latest ABS data showed there were 391,300 young carers in Australia under the age of 25: He said:
Children who later became carers were read to at ages 4-5 years far less often than their peers. This may be due to the parent having a health condition that limits their ability to take part in cognitively stimulating activities, or other factors.
Given reading to young children is arguably the most important at-home activity in terms of developmental outcomes, this is a clear signal to service providers and policymakers that gaps can start to open up at a very young age for children in households experiencing significant health issues or disability.
EU ambassador to Australia says proposed security pact needed amid high geopolitical tensions
Gabriele Visentin, the EU ambassador to Australia, says Europe is trying to step up cooperation with like-minded democracies after Anthony Albanese said the government could sign on to a new defence agreement with the bloc earlier this week. Visentin told RN Breakfast heightened tensions around the world, including Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine, demonstrated the need for such pacts, saying:
We have to step up our cooperation. The geopolitical tensions are so high that therefore we really want to strengthen our relations with any other liberal democracy which shares our value and towards respect for democracy, for freedoms and as well as for prosperity, but on a rules-based international order.
That’s why we are teaming up with all the like-minded partners in the world. Especially now in the Indo-Pacific.
You can read more about that defence pact proposal here:
A short, non-exhaustive list of things Albanese could do to improve productivity
With so much talk about how to increase productivity in the economy, Greg Jericho whistles up some trademark charts this morning to suggest five things the government could do to help.
Greg suggests these could include cutting fuel tax credits, increasing research funding and finding a way to reduce the huge but nonproductive investment in property.
Read his full piece here:
Energy minister says new power bill rules will make energy system ‘fairer’
Chris Bowen, the climate change and energy minister, said while the changes to power price rules aren’t a “silver bullet”, they’re part of an ongoing process to make the energy system fairier. He told RN Breakfast:
These are important. I’m not going to pretend that they’re a silver bullet, but clearly the situation hasn’t been working …
We are taking these steps today as part of a reform process. The reforms I announced yesterday and today’s changes are part of an ongoing reform process to make the energy system better and fairer for Australians.
There’s a requirement at the moment under law that your energy bill tells you whether you’re on the best possible offer from your retailer. Many, many Australians aren’t, and that’s not good enough in my view.
Read more here:
