Amended Electricity Supply Fees Determination 2014 (Jervis Bay Territory)

Administered by Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts

Legislation au F2015L00075 Not in force Legislative Instrument

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EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

 

Jervis Bay Territory Acceptance Act 1915

Administration Ordinance 1990 (Jervis Bay Territory)

 

Amended Electricity Supply Fees Determination 2014 (Jervis Bay Territory)

 

The Administration Ordinance 1990 (Jervis Bay Territory) was made pursuant to Subsection 4F(1) of the Jervis Bay Territory Acceptance Act 1915 which provides that the Governor-General may make Ordinances for the peace, order and good government of the Jervis Bay Territory (Territory). 

 

Subsection 3B(1) of the Administration Ordinance 1990 enables the Minister responsible for the Territory to determine fees for the provision of utilities and services provided by the Australian Government in the Territory.  The Minister has delegated the power to determine fees for these utilities and services to specific official positions within the Commonwealth Department having responsibility for administration of Australian territories, currently the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development (the Department). The signatory of this Determination is such a delegate under the Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Jervis Bay Territory Delegation Instrument 2012 (No 2) dated 20 July 2012.

 

Carbon Tax Repeal

 

This Determination has been prepared to meet the requirements of carbon tax repeal legislation. All new energy rates incorporate the removal of the carbon tax as of 1 July 2014. Rates that were set from 1 July 2014 by the previous Electricity Supply Fee Determination 2014 (Jervis Bay Territory) are revoked by this Determination.

 

Although this Determination takes effect before the date of registration, it meets the conditions of Section 12 of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003. No electricity account holder or person (other than the Commonwealth or an authority of the Commonwealth) will be disadvantaged as at the date of registration.

 

The Australian Government policy objective is that Territory residents have access to services that are similar to those provided in equivalent state communities in relation to electricity supply. This objective is achieved through fees based on general parity with those charged by electricity retailers in the surrounding region and recovery of some of the costs of electricity supply. The Territory does not have an economy of scale to enable full recovery of all the costs related to the provision of electricity.

 

Consultation

 

The Department published a Jervis Bay Territory Community Bulletin (Bulletin), which was placed on the Department’s internet website and posted to electricity account holders in the Territory. The Bulletin invited comment on the proposed Amended Electricity Supply Fees Determination 2014 (Jervis Bay Territory).

 

No submissions were received in response to the Bulletin.


Compatibility with Human Rights

 

This Determination, a Legislative Instrument, is compatible with the human rights and freedoms recognised or declared in the international instruments listed in section 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011.

 

This Legislative Instrument does not engage any of the applicable rights or freedoms. This Legislative Instrument is compatible with human rights as it does not raise any human rights issues.

DETAILS OF THE AMENDED ELECTRICITY SUPPLY FEES DETERMINATION 2014 (JERVIS BAY TERRITORY)

 

Details of the Determination are as follows:

 

Section 1 titles the Determination.

 

Section 2 provides the date on which the Determination commences.

 

Section 3 provides for the revocation of the previous Electricity Supply Fee Determination.

 

Section 4 defines the terms used in the Determination.

 

Subsection 5.1 provides that Schedule 1 determines fees for the supply of electricity. NSW retail electricity supply charges are no longer determined by the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) and the Australian Energy Regulator. NSW small customer retail electricity rates are now subject to competitive market forces. 

  • Domestic fees and General Supply fees are based on a survey of market based electricity supply rates on offer from licenced electricity retailers in the surrounding NSW region on 20 October 2014. These rates were reviewed by the use of the Commonwealth Government website “ Energy Made Easy”. Rates associated with competitive “no fixed term” offers on 20 October 2014 were considered. Domestic rates were set to match an Origin Energy offer. General supply rates were set to match an ERM offer.
  • The Large Low Voltage (LV) industrial and 11kV time-of-use demand supply fees are calculated on the Department’s electricity purchase costs and a margin to transport the electricity from the NSW-Jervis Bay Territory border using Australian Government infrastructure.

 

Subsections 5.2 and 5.3 provide for rebates to electricity fees. The basis of these rebates is as follows:

  • Given the general parity of domestic electricity charges with those of the surrounding region, the rebates available to Jervis Bay Territory residents are similarly drawn from those offered by the NSW government. The rebates available in Jervis Bay Territory have been structured to meet known requirements of Territory residents.

 

Section 6 provides that Schedule 2 determines miscellaneous fees for the supply of electricity.

The miscellaneous fees are based on recovery of direct costs incurred by the Department for services rendered under commercial contracts.

 

Section 7 provides the eligibility for 11 kilovolt time-of-use demand supply.

 

Section 8 provides the eligibility for LV industrial supply.

 

Section 9 provides for the period for payment.

 

Section 10 provides for action taken by the Department in the case of non-payment by the customer.

 

Section 11 provides for the requirement, use and refund of security deposits.

 

Jervis Bay Territory Electricity Fees (GST inclusive) comparison table:

 

When examining the Domestic and General Supply fees below, it is important to note that the amended 2014 supply fees achieve general parity with those charged by electricity providers in the region at the time that each Determination was/is made.  By comparison, the services or Other fees relate to the recovery of direct contracted-service costs incurred by the Department.

Rate changes for LV Industrial and 11kV Time of Use Demand supplies reflect bulk electricity purchase cost reductions achieved through the Department of Defence electricity supply contract with ERM Power Retail Pty Ltd. 

Note: All fees listed are GST inclusive, refer Section 99-1, A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 and GST Ruling 2006/2.

 

Domestic supply

 

 

 

 

Item

Description

Cost Units

Original 2014 Fee

Amended 2014 Fee

Variance

1

System access

$/day

0.76868

0.76868

0%

2

First 1750 kWh for a 90day period

$/kWh

0.27126

0.24981

-8%

3

For the balance of all electricity supply

$/kWh

0.30151

0.25707

-15%

 

Domestic supply controlled offpeak

 

 

 

Item

Description

 

Original 2014 Fee

Amended 2014 Fee

Variance

1

Off-peak access for off-peak 1

$/day

0.05214

0.05214

0%

2

Offpeak 1 (up to 9 hours offpeak supply daily)

$/kWh

0.09460

0.07403

-22%

3

Off-peak access for off-peak 2

$/day

0.05214

0.05214

0%

4

Offpeak 2 (up to 18 hours offpeak supply daily)

$/kWh

0.14696

0.12584

-14%

General supply

 

 

 

 

Item

Description

Cost Units

Original 2014 Fee

Amended 2014 Fee

Variance

1

System access

$/day

0.95777

0.71500

-25%

2

2500 kWh for 90day period

$/kWh

0.25597

0.21923

-14%

3

For the balance of all electricity supply

$/kWh

0.27698

0.21923

-21%

 

General supply controlled offpeak

 

 

 

Item

Description

Cost Units

Original 2014 Fee

Amended 2014 Fee

Variance

1

Off-peak access for off-peak 1

$/day

0.05214

0.05214

0%

2

Offpeak 1 (up to 9 hours offpeak supply daily)

$/kWh

0.09460

0.07403

-22%

3

Off-peak access for off-peak 2

$/day

0.05214

0.05214

0%

4

Offpeak 2 (up to 18 hours offpeak supply daily)

$/kWh

0.14696

0.12584

-14%

 

Note: All fees listed are GST inclusive, refer Section 99-1, A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 and GST Ruling 2006/2.

 


LV industrial supply

 

 

 

 

Item

Description

Cost Units

Original 2014 Fee

Amended 2014 Fee

Variance

1

For all electricity supply

$/kWh  

0.19337

0.14851

-23%

 

11kV timeofuse demand supply

 

 

 

 

Item

Description

 

Original 2014 Fee

Amended 2014 Fee

Variance

1

Monthly fee

$/kVA

11.6400

11.0160

-5%

2

For electricity supply during a peak period

$/kWh

0.18084

0.15936

-12%

3

For electricity supply during a shoulder period

$/kWh

0.16926

0.15010

-11%

4

For electricity supply during an offpeak period

$/kWh

0.09792

0.07202

-26%

 

Domestic Customer Rebates

 

 

 

 

Item

Description

Cost Units

Original 2014 Rebate($)

Amended 2014 Rebate($)

Variance

1

Pensioner rebate

$/day

0.64

0.64

0%

2

Life support or constant positive airway pressure respirators rebate

$/day

0.83

0.83

0%

 

 

Note: All fees listed are GST inclusive, refer Section 99-1, A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 and GST Ruling 2006/2.

 

 

 


Connection of electricity supply — fees payable before connection

Item

Description

Original 2014 Fee ($)

Amended 2014 Fee ($)

Variance

1

New account supply connection fee

77.00

77.00

0%

 

 

Other fees

 

 

 

Item

Description

Original 2014 Fee ($)

Amended 2014 Fee ($)

Variance

1

Disconnection fee at the meter board

77

77

0%

2

Reconnection fee at the meter board

77

77

0%

3

Combined disconnection/reconnection fee — at the pole or distribution pillar

583

583

0%

4

Meter test requested by customer –  charged per hour and minimum charge is for one hour

77 per hour

77 per hour

0%

5

Extraordinary meter reading due to no access

77

77

0%

6

Notice of disconnection delivery fee

16

16

0%

7

Each customer requested change of offpeak pricing option in excess of once in a 12month period

77

77

0%

Note: All fees listed are GST inclusive, refer Section 99-1, A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 and GST Ruling 2006/2.

 

Overview

The Jervis Bay Territory Acceptance Act 1915 was enacted to formally accept the Jervis Bay Territory as part of Australia. The Act aimed to fill the legal and administrative gap created by the transfer of the territory from New South Wales to the Commonwealth. The enacting body was the Australian Parliament, which authorised the Governor-General to make ordinances for the territory's governance. The policy objective of the legislation, as it relates to the administration of utilities, is to ensure that residents of the Jervis Bay Territory have access to services comparable to those in surrounding regions, particularly in terms of electricity supply. This is achieved by setting fees that reflect market rates and the costs incurred by the Commonwealth in providing these services. The Amended Electricity Supply Fees Determination 2014 (Jervis Bay Territory) was introduced to adjust fees following the repeal of the carbon tax, ensuring that the new rates reflect current market conditions and the removal of the carbon tax. The determination also seeks to ensure that residents are not disadvantaged by these changes and that the fees are generally in line with those charged in the surrounding region.

Scope and Application

The Jervis Bay Territory Acceptance Act 1915 provides for the governance of the Jervis Bay Territory, including the establishment of the Administration Ordinance 1990 which allows the Governor-General to make ordinances for the peace, order, and good government of the Territory. Under this authority, the Administration Ordinance 1990 was enacted to govern various aspects of the Territory, including the determination of fees for utilities and services provided by the Australian Government. Specifically, the Minister responsible for the Territory has the power to determine fees for utilities and services, and this power has been delegated to specific officials within the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. The Amended Electricity Supply Fees Determination 2014 (Jervis Bay Territory) serves to update the fees for electricity supply in the Territory, taking into account the repeal of the carbon tax and ensuring that the fees are set in general parity with those charged in the surrounding region, while also recovering some of the costs associated with electricity supply. The Determination applies to all electricity account holders in the Jervis Bay Territory and is consistent with human rights as it does not raise any human rights issues. The fees are structured to reflect the general parity with the surrounding region, with domestic and general supply fees based on market rates and large low voltage industrial and 11kV time-of-use demand supply fees calculated based on the Department's electricity purchase costs and a margin to transport the electricity from the NSW-Jervis Bay Territory border.

Key Provisions

The Jervis Bay Territory Acceptance Act 1915, the Administration Ordinance 1990, and the Amended Electricity Supply Fees Determination 2014 (Jervis Bay Territory) are central to the governance and utility fee regulation in the Jervis Bay Territory. Under Section 4F(1) of the Jervis Bay Territory Acceptance Act 1915, the Governor-General is empowered to enact Ordinances for the territory's peace, order, and good governance, with the Administration Ordinance 1990 being a prime example of such legislation. Section 3B(1) of this Ordinance allows the Minister responsible for the Territory to determine fees for utilities and services provided by the Australian Government. The Minister has delegated this responsibility to specific officials within the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, as per the Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Jervis Bay Territory Delegation Instrument 2012 (No 2). The Amended Electricity Supply Fees Determination 2014 (Jervis Bay Territory) is a legislative instrument that revises electricity supply fees, effective from 1 July 2014, following the repeal of the carbon tax. This Determination revokes previous fee structures set by the Electricity Supply Fee Determination 2014 (Jervis Bay Territory) and aligns new rates with competitive market forces in the surrounding region, ensuring that fees remain comparable to those in state communities while recovering some costs of electricity supply. The Act and the Determination impose specific obligations on the parties involved. The Minister and the designated officials within the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development must ensure that electricity fees are set in a manner that provides equitable access to services for Jervis Bay Territory residents while considering the economic constraints of the Territory. They must also conduct consultations with the community to gather feedback on proposed fee changes, as evidenced by the publication of the Jervis Bay Territory Community Bulletin. The Determination further requires that all fees be set in compliance with human rights, ensuring that no disadvantaged treatment of electricity account holders occurs. Additionally, the Department is obligated to implement the fee structures as outlined in Schedules 1 and 2 of the Determination, which detail the fees for the supply of electricity and miscellaneous fees, respectively. Breaches of the obligations set forth in the Jervis Bay Territory Acceptance Act 1915, the Administration Ordinance 1990, or the Amended Electricity Supply Fees Determination 2014 (Jervis Bay Territory) could lead to legal consequences. While the specific offences and penalties are not detailed in the provided text, such breaches typically involve civil or administrative penalties under the relevant Acts. These penalties may include fines or other corrective actions deemed appropriate by the governing authorities to ensure compliance with the legislative requirements. Given the administrative nature of the Determination, it is likely that breaches would result in administrative penalties rather than criminal sanctions. However, the exact nature and severity of these penalties would depend on the specific circumstances of the breach and the applicable legal frameworks.

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