Geographies of regulatory disparity underlying Australia’s energy transition

Abstract

Disparities in electricity retail regulatory protections will see some consumers approaching energy transition from an uneven footing. Here we examine the spatial organization of regulatory inequities in Australia by mapping electricity legal protections for settlements nationwide. Multiple logistic regression (n = 2,996) identifies the geographic and socio-demographic characteristics of settlements likely to be underserved by regulations to: protect life-support customers, guarantee service levels, clarify connection requirements for rooftop solar, require disconnection reporting and set clear and independent complaints processes. Assessing whether communities receive fewer than four of five protections, we find that Indigenous communities are 15% more likely to be underserved across multiple metrics and remote communities are 18% more likely to be underserved. These groups overlap. Those communities whose lands are rich in resources necessary for energy transition are simultaneously at risk of non-recognition of their own energy needs under current regulation, requiring policy remedies for a just transition.