Power bills in three Australian states to rise by almost a quarter – but it’s ‘not as bad as it could have been’

Energy regulator issues draft default market offer, which sets a cap for this year’s increases

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Power bills for households in three states will rise as much as 23.7% from 1 July if the Australian Energy Regulator’s draft determination, announced on Wednesday, is confirmed.

The AER chair, Clare Savage, said the increases were “significant” but they could have been as much as 40% to 50% without the federal government’s intervention in December to cap domestic gas and black coal prices.

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