Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal of New South Wales
Encyclopedia
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal of New South Wales (IPART) is an independent body that oversees regulation in water, gas, electricity and transport industries in NSW. IPART was established in 1992 by NSW State Government
with the primary purpose of regulating the maximum prices for monopoly services by government utilities and other monopoly businesses such as public transport
.
The Minister responsible for IPART is the Premier. Its first Minister was then Premier Nick Greiner
. IPART's first Chairman (from 1992 to 2004) was Tom Parry
. The current Chairman is Dr Michael Keating. The management of IPART’s organisational arm or Secretariat is conducted by the Chief Executive Officer and Full Time Member. IPART has approximately 73 staff members and an annual budget of $2.7 million.
IPART's core functions are conferred by legislation, Rules and access regimes
established by legislation. These functions are to:
In addition to these functions, IPART also undertakes reviews and investigations to advise the NSW government and its agencies on a range of economic and policy issues such as pricing, efficiency, industry structure and competition.
Government of New South Wales
The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
with the primary purpose of regulating the maximum prices for monopoly services by government utilities and other monopoly businesses such as public transport
Transport in New South Wales
An extensive multi-modal transport system serves the state of New South Wales, Australia. The lead government agency responsible for the network's operation and development is Transport for NSW.-Road:...
.
The Minister responsible for IPART is the Premier. Its first Minister was then Premier Nick Greiner
Nick Greiner
Nicholas "Nick" Frank Hugo Greiner AC, is an Australian businessman and former politician. He was the 37th Premier New South Wales from 1988 to 1992. He was Leader of the New South Wales Division of the Liberal Party from 1983 to 1992 and Leader of the Opposition from 1983 to 1988. He is married...
. IPART's first Chairman (from 1992 to 2004) was Tom Parry
Tom Parry
Dr Thomas Gregory Parry AM is an economist and public servant from Sydney, Australia.Parry served as foundation chairman of the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal of New South Wales for the 12 years to 2004....
. The current Chairman is Dr Michael Keating. The management of IPART’s organisational arm or Secretariat is conducted by the Chief Executive Officer and Full Time Member. IPART has approximately 73 staff members and an annual budget of $2.7 million.
Role
IPART's role is set out in various pieces of state legislation including the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal Act 1992, the Gas Supply Act 1996, the Electricity Supply Act 1995, the National Electricity (NSW) Law 1997 and the Transport Administration Act 1996.IPART's core functions are conferred by legislation, Rules and access regimes
established by legislation. These functions are to:
- Regulate prices for monopoly services provided by government agencies in NSW (including water, electricity and public transport)
- Regulate natural gas pricing and third party access to gas networks
- Administer licensing or authorisation of water, electricity and gas businesses, and monitor compliance with licence conditions
- Regulate private sector access to water and waste water to encourage competition and re-use
- Register agreements for access to public infrastructure assets and arbitrate disputes about agreements for access to public infrastructure
- Investigate complaints about competitive neutrality referred by the Government
- Administer the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme and its Register of abatement certificates
In addition to these functions, IPART also undertakes reviews and investigations to advise the NSW government and its agencies on a range of economic and policy issues such as pricing, efficiency, industry structure and competition.
Membership
The Tribunal comprises three permanent members: a part time Chairman, a full-time Tribunal Member/CEO and a part-time Tribunal Member. Tribunal members are appointed by the Premier. The Premier can also appoint any number of additional temporary members. As of December 2007, the permanent Tribunal members are:- Dr Michael Keating, AC (Chairman)
- James Cox (CEO and full time member)
- Sybille Krieger (part time member)
See also
- Australian Gas Light CompanyAustralian Gas Light CompanyThe Australian Gas Light Company was an Australian gas and electricity retailer. It was formed in Sydney in 1837, and supplied town gas for the first public lighting of a street lamp in Sydney in 1841 AGL was the second company to list on the Australian Stock Exchange. The company gradually...
- Country EnergyCountry EnergyCountry Energy is a retail subsidiary of Origin Energy. The corporation was formally owned by the Government of New South Wales. It provides natural gas and electricity to retail customers in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.-History:On 1...
- Energy Australia
- Integral EnergyIntegral EnergyIntegral Energy is the second largest state-owned energy corporation in New South Wales, incorporated under the Energy Services Corporations Act 1995 from a merger between Prospect Electricity and Illawarra Electricity...
- Public transport in metropolitan New South Wales
- Sydney WaterSydney WaterSydney Water is a New South Wales government owned corporation that provides drinking water, wastewater and some stormwater services to Sydney, Illawarra and the Blue Mountains, in Australia...