23 Marcus Clarke Street
Canberra ACT 2601
GPO Box 3131
Canberra ACT 2601
Our ref:
PRJ1006615
Contact officer:
FOI Team
tel: (02) 6243 1111
Contact phone:
02 6243 1244
fax: (02) 6243 1199
18 April 2023
www.accc.gov.au
Rex Banner
Sent via email to: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Rex
Decision on freedom of information request
I refer to your email dated 20 March 2023 in which you request access, under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) (the Act), to:
‘I am writing to request access to the anonymous dataset referenced by the
Australian Energy Regulator (AER) in their document titled "Residential Energy
Consumption Benchmarks" dated 9 December 2020. Specifically, I am requesting
access to the dataset mentioned in the fol owing quote from the document:
"The AER will then publish an anonymous dataset with the results of this project on
its website. That dataset can then be used by members of the public, and by
governments and researchers to inform energy policy. To protect your privacy the
information you provide wil be aggregated and de-identified. No individuals or
households wil be identifiable in the published dataset."
I request that the dataset be provided to me in a machine-readable format, such as
CSV or Excel.’
Decision
You have requested access to the anonymous dataset referenced at Appendix D of
the ‘Residential Energy Consumption Benchmarks’ report dated 9 December 2020
(the Report).
I have decided to release this document to you in ful .
Please note, as specified in the Report, the anonymous dataset is also available for
public download on the AER’s website: https://www.aer.gov.au/retail-
markets/guidelines-reviews/electricity-and-gas-consumption-benchmarks-for-
residential-customers-2020.
Your review rights are set out in Attachment A.
I am authorised under s.23 of the Act to make this decision.
Outstanding charges
There are no charges payable in relation to the processing of your FOI request.
Access to documents
As you have requested the document in a ‘machine-readable format, such as CSV or
Excel’, please find enclosed an Excel version of the granted document.
Disclosure log
In accordance with s.11C of the Act, I have decided to publish the document
released on the ACCC’s Disclosure Log. This will occur within ten business days of
the documents being released to you.
Yours sincerely
Rebecca Fenech
FOI Manager
Specialist Advice and Services Division
Sent by email 18/04/2023
Attachment A
Information on rights of review
ACCC Internal Review
Under s.54 of the FOI Act, you can ask for an internal review of this decision. If you request
an internal review request, another officer of the ACCC wil review your request and make a
new decision.
Timeframe for requesting internal review
You have 30 days from the receipt of this decision to request an internal review.
You may seek an extension to this timeframe with our agreement.
Is there a charge?
There is no charge payable for requesting an internal review.
Requesting an internal review
Your request for internal review must be in writing and indicate that you are seeking an
internal review. You wil need explain why this decision should be changed.
Please send your internal review request to the FOI Team by either:
Email:
xxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
Post:
GPO Box 3131, Canberra ACT 2601
When will the decision be made?
We have 30 days from the receipt of your internal review request to make a decision.
If we do not make a decision within 30 days or such further period as the IC al ows, the
original decision is considered affirmed. In such circumstances, you can seek review of our
deemed decision by the Information Commissioner.
Review by the Information Commissioner
You can ask for a review of this decision by the Australian Information Commissioner (IC).
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) encourages applicants to
seek internal review first, however you are not required to go through our internal review
process before seeking review by the IC. If you do choose to seek an internal review, you
can stil seek IC review of the internal review decision if we refuse access to your request.
Timeframe for requesting IC review
You have 60 days from the receipt of an access refusal decision to request IC review.
You may seek an extension to this timeframe from the OAIC.
Is there a charge?
There is no charge payable for requesting an IC review.
Requesting IC review
Your request for IC review must be in writing and include:
your name and contact details
a copy of the ACCC’s decision that you disagree with (if you’ve received one)
the reason(s) why you disagree with the decision
You can lodge your request for IC review in one of the fol owing ways:
Online: https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/reviews-and-complaints/information-
commissioner-review
Post:
GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001
Fax:
+61 2 9284 9666
Email:
xxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
Complaint to the Information Commissioner
You can request the Information Commissioner to investigate action taken by the ACCC in
relation to this FOI request. The Information Commissioner wil consider your complaint and,
if appropriate, conduct an investigation. Any investigation wil be completely independent.
Is there a charge?
There is no charge payable for making a complaint to the IC.
Lodging an IC complaint
You must lodge your complaint in writing and give a clear and brief description of each issue
you’re complaining about and what outcome you’d like.
You can lodge a complaint in one of the fol owing ways:
Online: https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/reviews-and-complaints/make-an-foi-
complaint
Post:
GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001
Fax:
+61 2 9284 9666
Email:
xxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
