My electricity bill is increasing even though the government reduced the price. Despite the Australian government's efforts to alleviate the financial burden on households by mandating electricity price cuts, energy retailers have found a loophole to maintain their profit margins. Instead of passing on these savings to consumers, they are jacking up the daily use charge to compensate for their perceived losses. This is entirely unfair and contradicts the regulatory intent.

In 2023, the Australian Energy Regulator announced new price caps aimed at lowering electricity costs for millions of households across the nation. These reforms were supposed to save an average of $100 on annual electricity bills. However, many households, including mine, have experienced a counterintuitive rise in their electricity expenses, despite these mandated cuts. How is this possible? The answer lies in the fine print—while the price per unit of electricity may have decreased, energy retailers have been stealthily increasing the fixed daily charge, sometimes by up to 70% or more.

This deception undermines consumer trust and exploits families who are already struggling with rising living costs. The lack of transparency in billing practices makes it difficult for the average consumer to understand what they are actually paying for.

We call upon the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Energy Regulator to close these loopholes. They must enforce stricter regulations and impose penalties on energy companies that fail to comply with the spirit of the law. Retailers must be held accountable for misleading pricing strategies and must be required to provide clear, comprehensible billing that reflects the genuine cost of electricity.

By signing this petition, you are demanding fair and transparent electricity pricing for all Australians. Let's hold energy retailers accountable and ensure that government-mandated price cuts lead to actual savings for all. Sign and share this petition to make your voice heard.

Short version for copy paste.  

Why is my bill going up when the government cut prices? Is there a scam happening here, and what are you doing about it?

The Australian Energy Regulator's 2023 price caps were meant to save households an average of $100 a year. Instead, many bills are rising. A 100 percent hike in the daily supply charge has no valid justification, it looks like exploitation of customers already struggling with cost of living, dressed up as compliance with the usage-rate cap.

Same pattern with the new 3-hour free solar window. Customers with smart meters are being moved onto much pricier plans to access it, with no clear justification for the increase beyond recouping the cost of the "free" hours themselves.

Two questions:

1. What action has been taken against retailers using unexplained daily supply charge hikes to offset the mandated usage-rate cuts?

         2. Will you investigate why smart meter customers must move to significantly pricier plans to access free solar hours, when there is no obvious cost basis for the increase? If not who does?

Real transparency means showing whether the total bill actually falls, not just one line item.