Full Version - Essential Energy

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New South Wales
• Gas Supply (Network Safety Management)
Amendment Regulation 2004 No. 594 (NSW), which
extends the operation of the Gas Supply (Network
Safety Management) Regulation 2002 No. 629
relevant to gas fitting work.
• Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions)(No. 2)
Act 2004 No. 9, which repealed both the Energy
Administration (Natural Gas Rationing) Regulation
2004 No. 3 and the Energy Administration (Natural
Gas Rationing) Regulation (No. 2) 2004 No. 27.
The purpose of the Statute Law (Miscellaneous
Provisions) (No. 2) Act 2004 No. 91 was to repeal
expired and redundant Acts and instruments.
• Gas Supply (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulation
2004 No. 274, which repeals parts 4 and 5 of the Gas
Supply (General) Regulation 1997 No. 435 (NSW) that
relate to review panels and the delegation power of
the Director General of the Department of Energy,
Utilities and Sustainability. This Regulation also
transfers certain provisions to the Gas Supply (Natural
Gas Retail Competition) Regulation 2001 No. 1013.
• Gas Supply (Natural Gas Retail Competition)
Amendment (Retailer of Last Resort) Regulation 2004
(NSW), which amends the Gas Supply (Natural Gas
Retail Competition) Regulation 2001 in relation to
last resort supply arrangements. The intention is to
protect small retail gas customers where their gas
supplier is unable to continue to supply gas.
In particular, if a ‘last resort supply event’ has taken
effect, the supplier must not supply gas to small retail
customers. The supplier must provide reasonable
assistance to the Minister for Energy and Utilities,
who may permit the supplier to recommence
supplying gas to small retail customers. In addition,
standard and negotiated customer supply contracts
between the supplier and a small retail customer
must provide that information concerning the
customer may be given to another supplier or other
prescribed entities, to implement last resort supply
arrangements.
• Electricity Supply (General) Amendment (Reduction
of Greenhouse Gas Emissions) Regulation 2004 No.
669, which amends the Electricity Supply (General)
Regulation 2001 and allows for accreditation of
persons as abatement certificate providers under the
Act with respect to proposed, as well as existing,
activities. It also enables such a provider to create
abatement certificates in respect of an activity that
occurred after the provider lodged an application for
accreditation as an abatement certificate provider.
• State Water Corporation Act 2004 No. 40, which
commenced on 30 June 2004 and established the
State Water Corporation (“the Corporation”) as a
State owned corporation under the State Owned
Corporations Act 1989 No. 134 (NSW).
• Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment
(Infrastructure and Other Planning Reform) Act
2005 No. 43, which amends the Environmental
Planning and Assessment Act 1979 to reform landuse
planning and the development assessment and
approval system under that Act, particularly in respect
of State infrastructure or other significant projects
and land-use planning instruments.
• Threatened Species Legislation Amendment Act 2004
No. 88, which amends the National Parks and Wildlife
Act 1974 No. 80 (NSW). Under this amended act,
clearance of native vegetation that is authorised by a
property vegetation plan will not need to be licensed
under the Act. The amended Act also provides that
a person knowingly causes damage to the habitat
of a threatened species if they did not comply with
required development consent or approval under
the Planning and Assessment Act 1979 No. 203
(NSW). Under the amended act, a landowner will
be attributed with an offence against protected
fauna or threatened species on their land unless
another person committed the offence without the
landowner’s permission.
Victoria
• Electricity Safety (Installations) Regulations 1999 No.
49 (VIC), which was amended by the Electrical Safety
(Installations)(Amendment) Regulations 2004/58 (VIC)
and relates to changes to the definition of ‘hazardous
bushfire risk area’ and ‘low bushfire risk area’
(relevant to wiring methods and private electric lines).
• Electrical Safety (Electric Line Clearance) Regulations
2005 No. 74 (VIC), which provides for the prescription
of the Code of Practice for Electric Line Clearance
as required by the Electricity Safety Act 1998 No. 25
(VIC).
• Energy Legislation (Amendment) Act 2004 No. 91,
which extends the operation of measures designed
to protect customers of electricity retailers, including
requiring some electricity retailers to publish details
of their market tariffs and terms and conditions for
electricity supply to small retail customers.
COUNTRY ENERGY ANNUAL REPORT 2004–2005