Queensland treasurer named and shamed Origin for raising power prices as benchmarks fell

On June 24, 2026, Queensland treasurer and energy minister David Janetzki publicly named and shamed Origin Energy for raising power prices even though the Australian Energy Regulator's new benchmark, released the month before, could cut household bills in the state's south-east by up to 7.2 per cent. Janetzki said he had seen a letter to Origin customers suggesting prices would rise 'significantly': 'Origin is the first retailer that appears not to be doing the right thing, and this is just the beginning.'

Federal energy minister Chris Bowen asked the AER to examine whether retailers may have breached regulations with the increases and how they were communicated. Janetzki accused retailers of 'playing games' after customers reported confusion: under the approved changes, companies recover more of their costs through fixed daily supply charges, and he said there was 'no excuse' for increasing one bill component to offset the other. He directed state-owned Ergon to pass on its savings in full — up to 6.9 per cent for households, 8.1 for businesses.

Origin rejected the characterisation: a spokesperson said the majority of Queensland customers will see lower electricity bills from July 1, no customer will see usage-charge increases, and most will see usage decreases that offset supply-charge increases. Prices, the company said, reflect network costs, wholesale energy costs, the cost of running the business and regulated default pricing. The Australian Energy Council noted the benchmark applies directly only to default-offer customers; far more are on market offers where retailers set their own structures.

No penalty; named by the treasurer as the first retailer 'not doing the right thing', with the federal minister asking the AER to investigate

Origin raised customers' overall bills in the same window the regulator's benchmark said south-east Queensland bills should fall by up to 7.2 per cent.

It structured the increase through fixed daily supply charges while trimming usage charges — a trade customers found confusing and the treasurer called 'playing games'.

Its customer letters flagged 'significant' increases at the exact moment the political narrative was falling prices, making the company the first retailer publicly named.

When the regulator's benchmark moves down and your customer letters move up, each component can be defensible — but the headline writes itself, and a politician will write it for you.

Origin maintained that most customers' bills will fall from July 1 and encouraged customers with concerns to contact it. The federal minister's request for an AER examination into possible regulatory breaches and how the increases were communicated remained outstanding, and the treasurer threatened to name other retailers.