Pricing and decision-making in the Australian electricity, road transport and water sectors: towards sustainability?

Riedy, C; White, S

Pricing and decision-making in the Australian electricity, road transport and water sectors: towards sustainability?

Riedy, C

White, S

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Publisher:: Australia and New Zealand Society for Ecological Economics
Publication Type:: Conference Proceeding
Citation:: Proceedings of the Australia and New Zealand Society for Ecological Economics Conference 2007, 2007, pp. 1 - 23
Issue Date:: 2007-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Riedy, C https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3668-737X	en_US
dc.contributor.author	White, S https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8078-5327	en_US
dc.contributor.editor	Proctor, W	en_US
dc.date	2007-07-03	en_US
dc.date.issued	2007-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Proceedings of the Australia and New Zealand Society for Ecological Economics Conference 2007, 2007, pp. 1 - 23	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/17629
dc.description.abstract	This paper considers the way in which pricing and decision-making processes in the Australian electricity, road transport and water sectors seek to balance multiple objectives. Specifically, it examines the ways in which the principles of National Competition Policy and the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainability are addressed in specific decisions about energy, transport and water infrastructure. In the electricity sector, we consider the planned roll out of smart meters and decisions on retail price regulation in NSW. We also consider emissions trading proposals affecting the electricity and transport sectors and the existence of energy and transport subsidies amounting to billions of dollars per year. Finally, we consider recent water planning decisions in South-East Queensland and Sydney. Despite a rhetorical commitment to principles of cost-reflective pricing and market efficiency by Australian governments, the primary objective in many of the cases considered appears to be political self-interest. Least cost options, environmental outcomes and social justice are rarely given the attention they deserve and systematic failures in decision-making processes are evident. We suggest ways to move towards sustainability pricing and decision-making by making prices more cost-reflective, adopting specific actions to address social justice concerns, using representative, deliberative processes to engage the community in decision-making and undertaking comprehensive sustainability assessments in the electricity, road transport and water sectors	en_US
dc.publisher	Australia and New Zealand Society for Ecological Economics	en_US
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/C10010008
dc.relation.ispartof	Proceedings of the Australia and New Zealand Society for Ecological Economics Conference 2007	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Australia and New Zealand Society for Ecological Economics Conference	en_US
dc.title	Pricing and decision-making in the Australian electricity, road transport and water sectors: towards sustainability?	en_US
dc.type	Conference Proceeding
utslib.location	Australia	en_US
utslib.location.activity	Noosa, Queensland, Australia	en_US
utslib.for	120504 Land Use and Environmental Planning	en_US
utslib.for	200203 Consumption and Everyday Life	en_US
dc.location.activity	Noosa, Queensland, Australia	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)/Institute For Sustainable Futures
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/e-Press
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - ISF - Institute for Sustainable Futures
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.consider-herdc	false	en_US
pubs.place-of-publication	Australia	en_US
pubs.start-date	2007-07-03	en_US

Abstract:

This paper considers the way in which pricing and decision-making processes in the Australian electricity, road transport and water sectors seek to balance multiple objectives. Specifically, it examines the ways in which the principles of National Competition Policy and the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainability are addressed in specific decisions about energy, transport and water infrastructure. In the electricity sector, we consider the planned roll out of smart meters and decisions on retail price regulation in NSW. We also consider emissions trading proposals affecting the electricity and transport sectors and the existence of energy and transport subsidies amounting to billions of dollars per year. Finally, we consider recent water planning decisions in South-East Queensland and Sydney. Despite a rhetorical commitment to principles of cost-reflective pricing and market efficiency by Australian governments, the primary objective in many of the cases considered appears to be political self-interest. Least cost options, environmental outcomes and social justice are rarely given the attention they deserve and systematic failures in decision-making processes are evident. We suggest ways to move towards sustainability pricing and decision-making by making prices more cost-reflective, adopting specific actions to address social justice concerns, using representative, deliberative processes to engage the community in decision-making and undertaking comprehensive sustainability assessments in the electricity, road transport and water sectors

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/17629