Connecting Electricity and Internet When You Move in Australia

Whether you can actually switch electricity retailer when you move depends on which state you're moving to — Australia doesn't have one national electricity market, and that genuinely changes what "connecting power" means.

Not every state has a competitive electricity market

Most of the country — NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT, and Victoria — sits in or alongside the National Electricity Market, where you can choose your retailer and compare plans. Western Australia and the Northern Territory are different: WA runs its own separate market (the Wholesale Electricity Market) with no real household retail competition, and the NT has effectively none either. Moving to Perth or Darwin means connecting with the local incumbent provider — there's no plan to shop around for the way there is in Sydney or Melbourne.

Comparing and connecting power

Where competition exists, Energy Made Easy is the free, independent, government-run comparison service — it covers NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and the ACT. Victoria runs its own separate comparison tool (Victorian Energy Compare) rather than being part of Energy Made Easy, since Victoria deregulated its retail market earliest and kept its own system.

Smart meters are being progressively rolled out to replace manually-read meters across the National Electricity Market, with a goal of full coverage by 2030 — mandatory, not something you can opt out of once your retailer contacts you. This actually affects how a move plays out: in Victoria and NSW, a smart meter can be connected and disconnected remotely, so switching happens without anyone visiting the property; in Queensland, South Australia, and the ACT, a technician still needs to visit the site to physically complete the connection — worth knowing before you assume moving day power will just work itself out.

Connecting the internet

Even with the same provider, your plan doesn't follow you to a new address automatically — you need to arrange a new connection. How long that takes depends entirely on whether the new address has been connected to the NBN before:

• Previously connected address: usually same-day to 3 business days
• Never connected, or a new development: a technician visit is required, which can take up to 2 weeks

Book your connection roughly 10 days before your move date if you can, so activation can be scheduled for your actual move-in day rather than leaving a gap.

Don't cancel the old service too early

A short overlap between your old and new power or internet costs very little. A gap with no power or internet is a much bigger hassle to fix after the fact, especially if you're working from home. Confirm the new connection is actually live before cancelling the old one.

Before you move: checklist

1. Check whether your new state has a competitive electricity market, or whether you're connecting with the local incumbent by default (WA, NT).
2. If you can switch, compare plans on Energy Made Easy (or Victorian Energy Compare in Victoria) before signing up anywhere.
3. Check your new address's NBN status and book installation early, especially if it's never been connected before.
4. Check your current electricity and internet contracts for an early termination fee before switching.
5. Confirm exactly when your old services end, and don't schedule that cancellation until the new ones are live.

Common mistakes

• Assuming you can shop around for electricity in WA or the NT the way you could in Sydney or Melbourne.
• Cancelling the old internet connection before the new one is confirmed installed.
• Leaving the NBN booking until moving week, when a technician visit — if needed — often can't be scheduled that fast.

This guide is general information, not a quote — check current plans, fees, and connection timeframes directly with providers and your state's electricity market before switching.