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About Us

About the Independent Accountability Panel

The Energy Charter is a statement about energy businesses putting the customer at the centre of their businesses and delivering better outcomes for them. Each year the energy companies that are signatories to the Energy Charter are required to provide an annual disclosure that demonstrates how they are achieving the Principles in the Energy Charter. The Energy Charter Independent Accountability Panel was established in June 2019. The Panel’s role is to review these annual disclosures against the principles of the Energy Charter.

A key part of the Panel’s evaluation is its public consultation process. The Panel is keen to hear from household and business customers about how the Energy Charter signatories are performing for their customers and what would deliver better outcomes for all customers. The Panel accepts written submissions each year about the disclosures as well as conducting public forums in October.

The Panel publishes an annual report (end November) that brings an independent perspective on how the Energy Charter signatories are serving the needs of households and businesses. It also holds the Energy Charter signatories accountable for the promises they have made to their customers and the community. Finally, the Panel’s report also makes recommendations on how the Energy Charter signatories may improve performance against the principles of the Energy Charter.

Our Panel

Clare-Petre

Clare Petre

Panel Chair

Clare Petre is the former NSW Energy and Water Ombudsman. She has a long career in the community sector including as a board director at Energy Consumers Australia. Her current roles are National Australia Bank (NAB) Customer Advocate, Chair of the Code of Conduct Committee for the Australian Council for International Development, Chair of the New Energy Tech Consumer Code and Board member of the Asylum Seekers Centre.

Cassandra-Goldie

Cassandra Goldie

Panel Member - Consumer representative

Cassandra Goldie is CEO of the Australian Council of Social Service, the national peak body for the community sector, and an advocate for tackling poverty and inequality. She has deep public policy expertise in economic and social issues, civil society, social justice and human rights and is a regular media and public commentator and conference presenter. Prior to joining ACOSS, Cassandra held senior roles in both the not-for-profit and public sectors at local, national and international level, including with the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Darwin Community Legal Service, Legal Aid Western Australia, and the global Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions. Cassandra is Adjunct Professor with the Law Faculty at the University of New South Wales. She has a PhD from University of New South Wales and a Masters of Law from University College London. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She serves on the Advisory Committee for the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, the UNSW Law Advisory Committee, the Australian Climate Roundtable, the Pinnacle Foundation Board and the Management Committee of the International Council of Social Welfare. Photographer Gavin Jowitt.

Andrew-Richards
Andrew Richards
Panel Member - Commercial and Industrial end-user representative

Andrew has over 30 years of energy industry and infrastructure development experience having held a variety of senior management roles in the areas of sales and marketing, public and stakeholder relations, media and communications, strategic planning, policy development, stakeholder engagement and political advocacy. For the last 3 years he has been Chief Executive Officer of the Energy Users Association of Australia (EUAA). The EUAA is the peak national body representing Australian commercial and industrial electricity and gas users. EUAA membership covers a broad cross-section of the Australian economy including significant retail, manufacturing, mining, materials and food processing industries. Under his leadership the EUAA has positioned itself as a highly respected thought leader and advisor to energy industry players, regulators and governments and is recognised by these stakeholders as a strong advocate for energy users. With significant experience in energy policy, political advocacy and stakeholder engagement Andrew continues to play a key role in a range of forums including the AEMO Expert Panel, the Federal Government Energy Industry Roundtable, the AER Value of Customer Reliability Consultative Committee and the recently formed National Hydrogen Strategy Taskforce Stakeholder Advisory Panel. Andrew is also deeply involved in ongoing engagement on behalf of energy users with the ACCC, AEMC, ESB, COAG Energy Council, AER and via numerous industry related customer reference groups.