Sustainability First reports on purposeful policy and regulation

Sustainability First has issued a series of conclusions and recommendations for government and regulators to progress public purpose in utility sectors.

The conclusions included items on policy, regulation and specific issues.

Policy

Government should fundamentally review its approach to what it takes to develop a purposeful utility; give clearer signals to regulators and companies on social and environmental issues; and join up its asks of and incentives for different regulators.

Regulation

Regulatory culture needs to become more purposeful through approaches beyond econometric modelling and multiple target setting; and price reviews should exclude company business plan elements that are high on social/environmental content and low on bill impacts, with local negotiated agreements taking their place.

Specific issues

Sustainability First identified specific conclusions and recommendations on “fairness and place”; intergenerational fairness; and bills, taxes and welfare.

The report was part of Sustainability First’s Fair for the Future project, which it set up in 2018 to help public utilities better address the politics of fairness and the environment.