2028 ISP Consumer Panel in their own words: September 2026
2028 ISP Consumer Panel Chair Michael Swanston reflects on the pace of change in the energy sector, the importance of keeping consumers central to system planning, and the Panel’s contribution to the review of the ISP framework.
When change becomes business as usual
About 15 years ago, when I worked with Energex, the Electricity Connection and Metering Manual was a straightforward technical document that explained how to connect a customer, install a meter, and apply tariff and technical requirements.
Today, that document looks so different. Metering is a substantial field, tariffs and pricing influence consumer behaviour, and connections must accommodate rooftop solar, batteries, electric vehicles, variable loads and two-way power flows. Wide area control system requirements for ‘orchestration’ now prevail.
The humble manual story reflects how rapidly the electricity system is changing across generation, storage, networks, retail and consumer behaviour. Perhaps change, challenge and transition are now business as usual?
This is the environment in which the 2028 ISP Consumer Panel begins its work.
I am pleased to chair the Panel, working alongside Dr Jarra Hicks, Dr Ed Langham and Georgina Morris. Together, we bring experience across consumer advocacy, community energy, networks, policy, research, innovation and regional communities. Jarra also provides valuable continuity from the 2026 Panel.
Australia’s electricity system is at an interesting – and difficult – point, as electrification reshapes demand and new industrial loads and data centres test the need for grid-supplied electricity.
That brings us back to the critical question: “How do we ensure the ISP improves the price, quality and sustainability of energy for the widening demographic of consumers who depend on and pay for it?”
The 2028 ISP Consumer Panel’s first substantial work is our submission to the Australian Energy Market Commission’s Review of the ISP framework. We argued that the ISP should develop as a whole-of-system plan, recognising consumer energy resources, distribution networks, storage, flexible demand, energy efficiency and community energy alongside large-scale generation and transmission.
Fundamentally, the ISP must resonate with the people who pay for, depend on and increasingly participate in the electricity system. It must explain what infrastructure may be required and what different pathways mean for affordability, reliability, consumer choice and participation.
This uncertainty makes the ISP more important.
The Optimal Development Plan should not be a ‘prediction’ that every project will happen when and where modelling suggests. Governments will make different decisions. Projects will be delayed. Technologies and costs will change. Consumer behaviour will change, too.
But we still need a reference point.
The ISP provides a transparent, independent view of the least-cost pathway to meet consumer needs and policy objectives while maintaining security and reliability. If circumstances change, it gives us a benchmark to understand the impacts on costs, benefits, reliability, timing and consumers.
Perhaps the ISP is less a fixed roadmap than a compass: it gives us a sense of direction while allowing the route to change as circumstances require.
For the 2028 ISP Consumer Panel, finding the balance between adaptability and a stable planning benchmark will be important, as will keeping consumers at the centre of the analysis. Ultimately, the transition should be judged by outcomes for the people and businesses using the electricity system.
As we begin that work, I acknowledge the 2026 ISP Consumer Panel’s contribution. Mark Henley, Craig Memery and Bev Hughson conclude four years of thoughtful, committed involvement in the ISP process, while Jarra Hicks brings that experience to the new Panel. We thank them for the strong foundation they provided.
The Panel will continue to prioritise making sure interested stakeholders, including consumers, have a voice in the preparation of the 2028 ISP, and warmly invite feedback from consumers/consumer advocates via [email protected].
Michael Swanston
Chair, 2028 ISP Consumer Panel