The independent Regulator (and the Office) is an integral part of the reform of the energy supply industry. The Regulator was appointed and the Office established effective 1 July 1998 pursuant to amendments to the Electricity Supply Industry Act 1995 (ESI Act).

The ESI Act amendments established an independent economic, technical and safety regulator. This was consistent with reform of the electricity supply industry and National Competition Policy which requires that regulatory functions be removed from government business enterprises.

With the introduction of gas into the Tasmanian energy market, the Regulator was charged with responsibility for gas regulation under the Gas Act 2000, Gas Pipelines Act 2000, and Gas Pipelines Access (Tasmania) Act 2000. Accordingly, the Regulator (and the Office) was then re-badged as the Tasmanian Energy Regulator.

The Regulator's functions do not include electricity and gas safety matters which are the responsibilities of Workplace Standards Tasmania and the Director of Gas Safety respectively.

Further to this, the Water and Sewerage Industry Act 2008, when enacted on 8 July 2008, gave responsibility for the economic regulation of the water and sewerage sector to the Regulator. The Office of the Tasmanian Energy Regulator and Government Prices Oversight Commission was re-badged on 1 October 2008 as the Office of the Tasmanian Economic Regulator (OTTER).

The Office was co-located with the Government Prices Oversight Commission (GPOC) until the Regulator assumed the functions of the Commission on 1 June 2010. More information on GPOC can be found at the GPOC web site: www.gpoc.tas.gov.au

Ombudsman

If a customer is dissatisfied with the way a complaint has been handled by an electricity, gas, water, or sewerage company, the complaint may be lodged with the Ombudsman. The Energy Ombudsman Act 1998 provides that the Ombudsman receive, investigate and resolve complaints concerning any service of, or relating to the sale and supply of gas or electricity by, an energy entity. In relation to the water and sewerage industry, the Ombudsman Act 1978 provides that the Ombudsman initiates, investigates and resolves complaints concerning the provision of regulated water and sewerage services

The Regulator has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ombudsman. The Memorandum provides that the Ombudsman make available to the Regulator information regarding any systemic issues identified in relation to industry compliance with the various regulatory instruments.