Chris Bowen is holding a quick press conference on the solar sharer plan, which will give people in eligible jurisdictions, three hours of free energy in the middle of the day (if they sign up to an eligible plan and have a smart meter) when solar power is at its strongest point in the grid.

Energy retailers are sad over it, because they say they were not consulted.

Bowen says it will be regulated and it is something that some retailers already offer:

The Australian regulator will regulate this. AGL and a few others offer this service. That’s great. I welcome that. This gives consumers the peace of mind that the AER, our independent regulator, has put the offers through their paces. And ensure there’s no price gouging going on. It’s in the best interests of the consumers. The AER will today or tomorrow release a discussion paper about the next DMO, taking feedback about how it will be implemented in detail but the Australian Energy Regulator has made clear to me that they see this as a very positive step which helps them do their job to put consumers first.