ON May 31 Western Australia’s residential and small business
gas customers (those using less than 1 terajoule of gas a year) will be allowed
to choose their gas supplier. The decision will affect about 450,000 gas
customers.
As part of the move to full retail contestability, the
computer systems governing the marketplace will be identical to those used in
South Australia, making it easier for gas companies in that State to enter the
WA market, and vice versa.
The move to full retail contestability in the gas market has
been on the cards since 1995 and has, so far, proven to be more successful than
attempts to deregulate the electricity market.
Milestones have included choice of supplier to customers
using more than 100 terajoules (2000), and choice of supplier to those using
between one and 100 terajoules.