{"id":"F2025L00121","name":"Industry Research and Development (Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) Digital Systems Enhancement Program) Instrument 2025","slug":"industry-research-and-development-australian-energy-market-operator-aemo-digital-systems-enhancement","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":442723,"registerId":"F2025L00121-fast-fetch-1775957679425","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Industry Research and Development (Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) Digital Systems Enhancement Program) Instrument 2025","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nIndustry Research and Development (Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) Digital Systems Enhancement Program) Instrument 2025\n\nI, CHRIS BOWEN, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, as delegate of the Minister for Industry and Science, make the following instrument.\n\nDated  12 February 2025  \n\nCHRIS BOWEN\n\nMinister for Climate Change and Energy\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1  Name\n\n2  Commencement\n\n3  Authority\n\n4  Definitions\n\n5  Prescribed program\n\n6  Specified legislative power\n\n \n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Industry Research and Development (Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) Digital Systems Enhancement Program) Instrument 2025.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n (1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.\n\n \n\n- Commencement information\n- Column 1 Column 2 Column 3\n- Provisions Commencement Date/Details\n- 1. The whole of this instrument The day after this instrument is registered.\n\n\nNote: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.\n\n (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.\n\n3  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under section 33 of the Industry Research and Development Act 1986.\n\n4  Definitions\n\n  In this instrument:\n\nAct means the Industry Research and Development Act 1986.\n\nAEMO means the Australian Energy Market Operator (ABN 94 072 010 327).\n\nProgram: see subsection 5(1).\n\n5  Prescribed program\n\n (1) For the purposes of subsection 33(1) of the Act, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) Digital Systems Enhancement Program (the program) is prescribed.\n\n (2) The program provides funding to AEMO to uplift core digital systems to enhance their effectiveness and reliability.\n\n6  Specified legislative power\n\n \n\nFor the purposes of subsection 33(3) of the Act, the powers of the Parliament to make laws with respect to the following are specified:\n\n (a) trade and commerce with other countries, and among the States (within the meaning of paragraph 51(i) of the Constitution);\n\n (b) postal, telegraphic, telephonic, and other like services (within the meaning of paragraph 51(v) of the Constitution);\n\n (c) foreign corporations and trading or financial corporations formed within the limits of the Commonwealth (within the meaning of paragraph 51(xx) of the Constitution).\n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument does not amend the Act or other laws; it designates (prescribes) a specific program under the existing authority in section 33 of the Industry Research and Development Act 1986 and identifies constitutional powers relied on. It narrows to a single funding program rather than changing the statutory scope of the Act."},"complexity_factors":["Short, narrow instrument that merely prescribes a single program and specifies commencement (low structural complexity).","Relies on a cross-reference to section 33 of the Industry Research and Development Act 1986 (requires statutory interpretation of delegated power).","Specifies constitutional heads of power (s51(i), s51(v), s51(xx)) — formal legal framing though not operationally detailed.","No funding amounts, timelines, or delivery mechanisms are included — creates implementation ambiguity and administrative discretion.","Primary compliance and operational burdens fall on AEMO (recipient) rather than on a broad regulated cohort.","Potential for legal questions over whether the program fits within the Act's definitions of 'research and development' and allowed use of funds."],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument prescribes the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) Digital Systems Enhancement Program under the Industry Research and Development Act 1986, enabling Commonwealth funding to AEMO to upgrade core digital systems to improve effectiveness and reliability. The Minister (as delegate) makes the instrument; the Commonwealth pays and AEMO is the recipient. It matters because public money will finance digital-capacity changes and AEMO will implement upgrades, while funding amounts and operational details are left to later administrative action."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument remains tightly scoped to its original purpose. It does exactly what its title suggests: prescribes a specific digital enhancement program for AEMO. There is no scope creep — no expansion into unrelated activities, no broadening of eligible recipients, and no additional regulatory burdens beyond the simple funding mechanism."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short — only 6 sections spanning 2 pages","Only 3 defined terms (Act, AEMO, Program)","No cross-references beyond basic citations to the Industry Research and Development Act 1986 and the Constitution","No conditional logic, exceptions, or operational rules — purely declaratory","Single straightforward purpose: prescribe a program and specify constitutional heads of power"],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument establishes the AEMO Digital Systems Enhancement Program — a government funding mechanism to modernise AEMO’s core IT and digital infrastructure, bolstering market reliability and renewable integration.\n\nIt directly enables AEMO to receive government funding and indirectly affects all electricity users by reducing outage and pricing risks, by making the program eligible under the Industry Research and Development Act and identifying the constitutional powers that permit Parliament to provide the funding."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-australian-energy-market-operator-aemo-digital-systems-enhancement","history":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-australian-energy-market-operator-aemo-digital-systems-enhancement/history","analysis":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-australian-energy-market-operator-aemo-digital-systems-enhancement/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-australian-energy-market-operator-aemo-digital-systems-enhancement/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-australian-energy-market-operator-aemo-digital-systems-enhancement/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-australian-energy-market-operator-aemo-digital-systems-enhancement/documents"}}