Electricity prices to rise by up to a quarter in parts of Australia after energy regulator issues market default decision

Australian Energy Regulator says power bills would have gone up twice as fast without government intervention

• Shop around and turn off appliances: ways to beat Australia's energy price hikes
• Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates
• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

Electricity prices will rise by up to a quarter in July in some states after the Australian Energy Regulator issued its decision on the default market offers that set the baseline for retailers.

But the AER says this is about the half the hike that might have happened without government intervention.

Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup