NSW Fines for Skipping Forced Interviews and Company Directors Can Be Held Liable

Energy and Utilities Administration Amendment Bill 2026

4 Aug 2026: Passed by Parliament and signed off by the governor.

This bill kicks in: TBA

Legislative Assembly

Legislative Council

Assent

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Topics

civil liberties corporate governance criminal penalties energy infrastructure energy supply government powers information notices law enforcement public safety regulatory penalties

Introduced by: The Hon Jihad Dib MP (ALP); The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC (ALP)

Links to official parliament websites

Official page: progress through parliament

Effects of this bill

If this bill passes, it means that:

The Energy Minister can issue written notices to force people to provide information during investigations into energy supply breaches.
People cannot have their own incriminating answers used as evidence against them in court.
Fines for continuing energy supply offences jump to 1,000 penalty units (2026: $110,000); a further 100 units apply for every day the offence continues.
Information notices cannot force a person to produce a document they do not possess.
People giving oral energy supply directions must confirm them in writing as soon as possible.
The Energy Minister can delegate their powers to other people in writing.
The Energy Minister can issue a notice that forces a person, or a company director, to answer an inspector's questions at a set time and place.
People who ignore a compelled interview notice can be fined up to 1,000 penalty units (2026: $110,000), plus 100 penalty units (2026: $11,000) for every day they don't comply. Companies or other entities can be fined up to 5,000 penalty units (2026: $550,000), plus 500 penalty units (2026: $55,000) per day.
Inspectors can force a person to give their name, home address, and proof of identity if the inspector suspects they have broken the law.
Inspectors can record interviews. They must tell the person they are recording and give them a copy of the recording as soon as possible.
Inspectors can be fined 20 penalty units (2026: $2,200) if they share information they gathered during an investigation without permission or legal authority.
People forced to answer questions can object to their answers being used against them in court. However, they must still answer the questions.
Company directors and managers are personally liable if their company breaks the law, unless they can prove they could not influence the conduct or did everything possible to stop it.
People who ignore directions about energy supply or cyber security can be fined up to 1,000 penalty units (2026: $110,000), or up to 5,000 penalty units (2026: $550,000) for companies, with daily fines for ongoing breaches.

The Debate

What different members said when this bill was debated:

Jacqui Munro LIB

“I contribute to debate on the Energy and Utilities Administration Amendment Bill 2026 and indicate that the Opposition will not oppose this bill.”

Official source →

Abigail Boyd GRN

“On behalf of The Greens, I indicate that we support the Energy and Utilities Administration Amendment Bill 2026. I note on record that this bill is being presented to members for the first time tonight. We have not had the benefit of hearing the Minister’s second reading speech, but we have fortunately been briefed extensively on the bill by her office, and I thank the Minister for that.”

Official source →

Penny Sharpe ALP

“I also thank members for respecting and understanding the urgency with which the Energy and Utilities Administration Amendment Bill 2026 has been brought forward. The Government remains cautiously optimistic that the disruption to global fuel markets will ease in the not too distant future. While they have eased a bit in recent weeks, we continue to monitor the situation closely.”

Official source →

News articles and press releases

Energy and Utilities Administration Amendment Bill 2026

Mr JIHAD DIB, Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government — 2026-06-02

They will enable us to respond effectively if our fuel supplies deteriorate. New South Wales already has a framework in place to manage energy‑related emergencies. The bill amends the Energy and Utilities Administration Act to strengthen that framework. It does this by augmenting the State’s information gathering, direction making, compliance and enforcement powers in the event of an energy supply disruption. The amendments will encourage compliance, improve access to accurate information, and reduce the burden of administrative processes in response to significant energy supply reductions.