Energy Users Association of Australia

Energy Users Association of Australia
Name	Energy Users Association of Australia
Type	Non-profit advocacy group
Founded	1977
Headquarters	Melbourne, Victoria
Region served	Australia

Energy Users Association of Australia

The Energy Users Association of Australia is an Australian industry association representing large energy consumers in the states of Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. It engages with regulators, utilities, market operators and political institutions to influence electricity, gas and network policy affecting industrial, commercial and institutional energy users. The organisation interacts with bodies such as the Australian Energy Market Operator, Australian Energy Regulator, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and state treasuries.

History

The association emerged in the late 1970s amid debates following the 1973 oil crisis and energy security debates that involved institutions such as the Reserve Bank of Australia, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and state electricity commissions. Early activity linked to policy forums with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, National Electricity Market development, the Hawke government economic reforms, and state-based regulatory changes like the Victorian electricity reforms. Over subsequent decades the association engaged with events and inquiries including the COAG energy market reviews, the Productivity Commission inquiries, the Garnaut Climate Change Review discussions, and legislative processes in parliaments such as the Parliament of Australia and the Parliament of Victoria. Its archival connections intersect with peak bodies like the Business Council of Australia, Australian Industry Group, Minerals Council of Australia, and Clean Energy Council, while its membership base paralleled corporations such as BHP, Rio Tinto, BlueScope, Orica, and Alcoa.

Mission and Objectives

The association’s stated mission centers on representing the commercial and industrial consumers’ interests before institutions such as the Australian Energy Market Commission, Australian Energy Market Operator, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and state utility regulators. Objectives include secure supply outcomes with cost-reflective pricing, efficient network investment aligned with rules from the National Electricity Rules and National Gas Rules, and pragmatic decarbonisation pathways compatible with business operations. It prioritises engagement with policy processes led by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Treasury, state Departments of Energy, and intergovernmental forums such as the Council on Federal Financial Relations.

Membership and Governance

Members comprise large energy customers from sectors represented by trade associations like the Australian Industry Group, Business Council of Australia, Minerals Council of Australia, Australian Aluminium Council, Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia and the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Council. Governance structures reflect non-profit practice aligned with corporate law overseen by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission registration frameworks and state-based associations incorporations. A board drawn from corporate energy managers, chief financial officers and legal counsel interfaces with committees addressing technical matters related to the Australian Energy Market Operator, Australian Energy Regulator determinations, Australian National University and University of Melbourne energy research programs. Annual general meetings attract delegates from multinational corporations including ExxonMobil Australia, Shell Australia, Chevron Australia, Santos, Woodside and regional utilities like AusNet Services and Powercor.

Activities and Services

The association offers member services including regulatory submissions to bodies like the Australian Energy Market Commission, Australian Energy Regulator determinations interventions, tariff analysis for distributors such as Jemena, APA Group gas network reviews, and procurement forums with the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and Australian Renewable Energy Agency. It provides workshops, benchmarking studies and expert panels involving academics from Monash University, University of New South Wales, University of Queensland and policy analysts from the Grattan Institute and the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Events include seminars with speakers from the Australian Energy Market Operator, state energy ministers, Infrastructure Australia, and peak bodies such as the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Climate Council.

Policy Advocacy and Influence

Advocacy focuses on transmission planning with Australian Energy Market Operator Integrated System Plan, network tariff reform aligned to the Australian Energy Regulator’s revenue determination processes, and gas market reforms involving the Independent Gas Market Operator and state gas strategies. The association submits evidence to inquiries like Senate environment and energy committees, Productivity Commission reviews, and state parliamentary inquiries in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, coordinating positions with the Business Council of Australia, Australian Industry Group and Clean Energy Council where interests align. It has engaged on mechanisms such as capacity markets, reliability obligations, market settlement reform led by the Australian Energy Market Operator and emissions policy frameworks tied to the Safeguard Mechanism and renewable energy target debates.

Research and Publications

The association produces technical briefs, policy papers and submissions that draw on modelling tools used by the Australian Energy Market Operator, CSIRO energy technology roadmaps, and academic studies from institutions like Australian National University, University of Sydney and Curtin University. Publications address topics including demand response, energy efficiency standards, network tariffs, embedded generation impacts on distribution networks, and corporate renewable procurement strategies. It circulates member newsletters, conference proceedings and position papers informed by consultants such as Jacobs, AECOM, McKinsey & Company and PwC, and referencing data from bodies like the Australian Energy Market Operator and Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Partnerships and Industry Engagement

The association collaborates with peak bodies including the Business Council of Australia, Australian Industry Group, Minerals Council of Australia, Clean Energy Council, Australian Aluminium Council and state chambers of commerce, and liaises with market institutions such as the Australian Energy Market Operator, Australian Energy Regulator, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal. Partnerships extend to research organisations like CSIRO, Cooperative Research Centres, universities and consultancies to deliver member workshops, joint submissions and pilot projects involving distributed energy resources, microgrids and demand-side management programs with utilities including AusNet Services, Jemena, Endeavour Energy and SA Power Networks.

Category:Energy in Australia Category:Industry trade groups