work as regulator. This in turn should enable members to participate in further energy sector engagement, including our future engagement activities. Furthermore, we have emphasised our role as an independent economic regulator, rather than consumer advocate, to assist CRG members in understanding why we do not always adopt positions most advantageous to consumers. Leading meetings An important insight gained from AER Directors is that there was a natural progression in who drove CRG meetings: Initially meetings were driven by the CRG secretariat. When AER Directors became familiar with the CRG process they began driving when the meetings would occur. When CRG members had a strong understanding of each workstream and understood the process they began to drive the meetings themselves. Following this model for future consumer engagement work would be effective as it allows a third party (such as the secretariat) to facilitate the process to get it underway and then step back and allow those directly involved to lead meetings when the parties understand the direction to be taken. Proposed consumer engagement model: In the feedback, AER Directors that sometimes CRG meetings felt more about process over substance. More interaction between the secretariat and Directors at the initial stage may have alleviated this concern and relieved the time commitment needed of CRG members and preparation needed of Directors. Consumer collaboration An interesting point raised in the member feedback was that consumer consultation processes would benefit from consumer groups working together to tackle different aspects of consultation. The CRG member feedback highlights that the CRG was successful in creating a forum for members to collaborate with one another, informally exchange views and have access to different consumer perspectives. This creates a foundation. The next step is for consumers to build groups to work together and relieve pressure in tackling substantial amounts of material in future engagement programs. Finding common ground among consumers will allow more efficient allocation of scarce resources. It will make consumers more effective in contributing to regulatory processes.
work as regulator. This in turn should enable members to participate in further energy sector engagement, including our future engagement activities. Furthermore, we have emphasised our role as an independent economic regulator, rather than consumer advocate, to assist CRG members in understanding why we do not always adopt positions most advantageous to consumers. Leading meetings An important insight gained from AER Directors is that there was a natural progression in who drove CRG meetings: Initially meetings were driven by the CRG secretariat. When AER Directors became familiar with the CRG process they began driving when the meetings would occur. When CRG members had a strong understanding of each workstream and understood the process they began to drive the meetings themselves. Following this model for future consumer engagement work would be effective as it allows a third party (such as the secretariat) to facilitate the process to get it underway and then step back and allow those directly involved to lead meetings when the parties understand the direction to be taken. Proposed consumer engagement model: In the feedback, AER Directors that sometimes CRG meetings felt more about process over substance. More interaction between the secretariat and Directors at the initial stage may have alleviated this concern and relieved the time commitment needed of CRG members and preparation needed of Directors. Consumer collaboration An interesting point raised in the member feedback was that consumer consultation processes would benefit from consumer groups working together to tackle different aspects of consultation. The CRG member feedback highlights that the CRG was successful in creating a forum for members to collaborate with one another, informally exchange views and have access to different consumer perspectives. This creates a foundation. The next step is for consumers to build groups to work together and relieve pressure in tackling substantial amounts of material in future engagement programs. Finding common ground among consumers will allow more efficient allocation of scarce resources. It will make consumers more effective in contributing to regulatory processes.
Assessment%20of%20the%20Consumer%20Reference%20Group.DOCX