Consumer Advisory Committee

The Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC) acts as the voice of consumers.

The CAC advises the QCA on issues that matter to consumers and on the interests of consumers—particularly the interests of small consumers—where they could be affected, while the QCA performs its responsibilities under the Electricity Act and Gas Supply Act. The CAC also provides important input into QCA decisions, including regulated electricity pricing, administration of the Electricity Distribution Network Code and Gas Distribution Network Code and other issues important to energy customers.

When full retail competition was introduced into Queensland’s energy market, the law required the QCA to establish a Consumer Advisory Committee. The CAC was established in 2007 and its members are seven consumer organisations:

1. Business Chamber Queensland (formerly Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland)
2. Council on the Ageing Queensland
3. Energy Users Association of Australia
4. Financial Counselling Queensland (formerly Financial Counsellors Association of Queensland)
5. Queensland Farmers’ Federation
6. Queensland Consumers Association
7. Queensland Council of Social Service.

The CAC operates according to a customer charter, which was approved in April 2007. In preparing this charter, the QCA considered the submissions received in response to the draft charter issued in March 2007.

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