Australians are crying out for an energy policy focused on cutting household and business power prices, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says.
Responding to a Australian Competition and Consumer Commission report on Wednesday, Mr Turnbull said energy is now too expensive and solutions are needed.
"Australians are crying out for an energy policy that is focused on them," Mr Turnbull told an event in Queensland on Wednesday.
"They want politicians to cooperate, to deliver an energy policy that is focused on them, and what that means is it's focused on them paying less for energy."
The prime minister said the starting point was a competitive, consumer-focused market.
He said too many energy generators and retailers had ripped off Australian customers.
"Some in the sector took advantage of the strong positions, using the cover of uncertainty to take advantage of consumers," Mr Turnbull said.
The prime minister promised to look at the ACCC's recommendations, but he was broadly supportive and said he would discuss them with state and territory governments.
Mr Turnbull said the ACCC backed the coalition's national energy guarantee policy, which is aimed at bringing down prices while guaranteeing reliability and cutting emissions.
Some coalition MPs are arguing the ACCC's report means the government should fund investment in coal, but Mr Turnbull said it was technology-neutral.
"The national energy guarantee is designed to make sure that we have a sufficient amount of reliable power," he said.
