News Archives - The Energy Charter

October 2024 News Update

In the October 2024 news update, we celebrate our CEO, Sabiene Heindl who has been announced the winner of the 2024 International Equality in Energy Transitions (EIET) Woman of Distinction Award!

We’re also thrilled to publish our Full Signatories annual Disclosures as part of our Accountability Process. Over the next few months, CEOs will meet with their customer, community and stakeholder groups to engage on their Disclosures. Together, they’ll be co-designing clear commitments to drive better outcomes and deliver real impact, reflected in a Feedback Summary.

We’re also excited to welcome our new Energy Charter Supporter: Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW. EWON’s support reflects the meaningful work we are doing to genuinely help customers and communities. We’re thrilled to have Janine Young and her team join us on this important journey!

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A wrap up of the National Landholder Engagement Training in Wagga Wagga

Discover what the 60+ land agents and community engagement professionals got up to at our 3rd National Landholder Engagement Training in September 2024, in Wagga Wagga NSW.

What did the training participants get up to?

On Monday, 2 September 2024, renewable developer and transmission engagement professionals arrived at the Transgrid Discovery Hub in Wagga Wagga for a day packed with insights, networking and celebrating!

The training kicked off with:

A deep dive into what social licence is, where we prioritised trust and established each other’s values before moving into the session
Learning about renewable energy development in NSW with Suzanne Westgate, General Manager of Land, Property + Approvals at Transgrid, including what Transgrid is doing to ensure genuine long-term partnerships with landholders and community benefits are delivered within the regions most impacted by transmission projects
Listening, learning and asking questions to the Landholder Insights Panels with:
- Justine Campbell, CEO Regional Development Australia Orana
- Charlie Prell, ex Chair Farmers for Climate Action
- Lee Kingma, Tumut landholder
- Joy Thomas, Chair Ag Energy Social Licence Roundtable
- Facilitated by our CEO, Sabiene Heindl
Drinks, canapes and networking, where Wendy Agar from Engaged Outcomes launched the emPOWER Podcast, a tailor-made for those driving the energy transition on the ground in regional Australia and proudly supported by the Energy Charter
Collaboratively creating an artwork to commemorate this training with First Nations artist Luke Penrith Arts and Designs.

emPOWER Podcast launch with Engaged Outcomes

Launching at the networking function, podcast host Wendy Agar from Engaged Outcomes introduced all the emPOWER Podcast: a podcast tailor-made for those driving the energy transition on the ground in regional Australia

We kicked off with a bang, with our inaugural guest none other than Andrew Dyer, former Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner!

Perfect for anyone committed to supporting and understanding our regional communities, this podcast is your go-to resource for effective, respectful engagement during this pivotal time. Stay connected, stay informed, and make a positive impact!

Communicating controversial projects with Risk Communications Specialist

We were thrilled to have Kelly Parkinson, Risk Communication Specialist, running targeted training at our National Landholder Engagement Training on Day 2. Kelly’s rich experience includes working internationally with the community on their concerns about a range of projects.

This theory and practice workshop included:

An introduction to outrage management and audiences
“See-saws” or what makes it counter intuitive
Role pay exercises using the “see-saws” theory
New messaging approach
Outrage factors presentation and exercices
From fight to fix and barriers

A night of celebrating + learning at the National Landholder Engagement Training Dinner

After an intensive day of risk communications practical training, participants were ready for something special, and what better way to wind down than by heading for the hills?

We indulged in a delightful paddock-to-plate dinner experience, fully immersing ourselves in the heart of this incredible regional community of Wagga Wagga. It was a perfect opportunity to connect with the locals and appreciate the beauty and bounty of the region.

A huge shoutout to Janine Young, Ombudsman at Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW (EWON) and Rod Stowe, former Independent Community and Consumer Advocate at Transgrid, for sharing their wisdom and insights with us. Your guidance continues to inspire us to do better by landholders and communities in regional Australia as we navigate the energy transition.

Exploring renewable energy infrastructure in Wagga Wagga

The final day of the National Landholder Engagement Training was a sea of high-vis! On Day 3, our 60+ renewable energy engagement enthusiasts wrapped up our training with a full-day adventure, exploring some of the most significant renewable energy infrastructure in the Wagga Wagga region.

It was amazing to witness the spirit of collaboration in action. Seeing so much sharing between industry folk—from renewable energy to transmission and distribution—was truly inspiring.

Where did our land agents and community engagement pros visit?

Tetris Battery Storage Facility + Solar Farm: We kicked off the day by getting firsthand insights into this innovative project’s progress
Gregadoo Substation Works: Next stop, the Wagga 330kV Substation—where we got up close and personal with the heart of the region’s energy distribution
Landholder for Project EnergyConnect: We learned from a landholder and observed tower erection in action across three adjoining holdings as part of Project EnergyConnect. Truly a sight to behold!
Lockhart Camp: A quick visit to the temporary construction camp and laydown area gave us a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes logistics
Transmission Towers: We saw transmission towers at various stages of construction, each one a step closer to powering our future
Bomen Solar Farm: Our final stop brought us to this fully operational solar farm, where we met the host landholder and learned about the farm’s day-to-day operations.

This bus tour wasn’t just about seeing renewable energy in action—it was about connecting with the landholders who play such a critical role in these projects. Their insights are always invaluable as we strive to innovate and improve in this space.

Are you interested in joining future training?

Let us know below if you’d like to attend future National Landholder Engagement Training and be the first to hear about the upcoming dates and topics as well as receive the link to register before it goes out to the public! Email us at director@theenergycharter.com.au.

September 2024 News Update

National Landholder Engagement Training in Wagga Wagga

In the September 2024 news update, we’re excited to announce the launch of the emPOWER Podcast, tailor-made for those driving the energy transition on the ground in regional Australia. You can listen to the first episode with guest Andrew Dyer, former Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner about ‘Better Practice Community Engagement in the Energy Transition’.

The National Landholder Engagement Training also kicked-off on 2 September 2024 providing an incredible opportunity for those on the ground in regional communities across Australia to enhance their engagement, built on real life insights from landholders and land agents.

The #BetterTogether Life Support Customer proposed Rule Change has been submitted to the Australian Energy Market Commission. This work has been led by Esstential Energy and SA Power Networks.

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August 2024 News Update

In the August 2024 news update, we share major updates for the #BetterTogether Life Support Customers initiative regarding the proposed Rule Change submission. We also officially launch the #BetterTogether Community Energy Resilience initiative!

The Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner (AEIC) released its 2023 Annual Report and we were thrilled to see the Energy Charter highlighted for its “collaborative leadership” and recognised for our better practice initiatives.

We also welcome our new Director, Renewable Energy, Martine Holberton!

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July 2024 News Update

In the July 2024 news update, we share the Melbourne Institute Report on the Energy Charter’s National Concessions Awareness and Engagement Campaign “Keep the Money. It’s Yours.” which showed that the message of energy concessions eligibility is getting out, however there’s more that can be done.

We are also pleased to share progress across a number of our social licence #BetterTogether initiatives including our 3rd National Landholder Engagement Training, the Better Practice Social Licence Guideline: 12-month Independent Review funded by Energy Consumer Australia, through RE-Alliance and progress on the Queensland Renewable Energy Code in response to the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commission Community Engagement Review continues at pace.

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June 2024 News Update

In the June 2024 news update, we warmly welcome our new Director, Energy Transition Heather Wagland! Heather joins the small but mighty team at the Energy Charter, bringing a passion for social impact and extensive experience in the energy sector.

We also celebrated being announced the winner of the Shared Value Project Innovation Award for our Knock to Stay Connected Customer Code.

We kicked off the first #BetterTogether Qld Renewable Energy Code workshop to begin the co-design process with senior leaders from across Industry Collaborators and the Community/Customer Outcomes Group, independently facilitated by a human-centred design expert.

You can now also register your interest for our 3rd National Landholder Engagement Training will be held on 2, 3 and 4 September and aims to support those engaging with landholders and communities on renewable energy development to do their job well and support better shared value outcomes.

Read more about these updates in our June News Update.

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May 2024 News Update

In the May 2024 news update, read more about our partnership with the Queensland Renewable Energy Council to bring renewable developers, agricultural, local government, conservation, First Nations and other community collaborators together to co-design the initial design of the Renewable Energy Code.

Last month, we also had the privilege of meeting the Lived Experience Panel for Life Support in the Home. A big thank you to Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) for supporting this important work.

The Energy Charter has been shortlisted as a finalist for the Shared Value Project Innovation Awards for the Knock to Stay Connected Customer Code, with winners announced on 9 May!

Our 2024 Accountability Guidance was published with guidance from our End-User Consultative Group.

Read more about these updates in our May News Update.

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April 2024 News Update

In the April 2024 news update, annual Disclosures were published by EnergyAustralia and SA Power Networks, our CEO Council met in Sydney with special guests Brendan French, CEO Energy Consumers Australia and Louise Pogmore, Energy Partner KPMG. Our conversations centred on collaboration opportunities for energy transition and cost-of-living supports.

We also launched the Energy Charter Impact Framework: an important step in the right direction to align our #BetterTogether initiatives with tangible impacts for those in our communities. Our Impact Framework brings to focus the “so what?” factor that needs to drive both our commitments and outcomes.

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Why does impact matter?

The importance of defining, measuring and communicating the impact of our work through an Impact Framework is an essential ingredient for delivering better outcomes for customers and communities.

We were thrilled to be joined by Tracy Collier, Founder and Director Action with Impact, Ciara Sterling, CEO Thriving Communities Partnership and Sabiene Heindl, our CEO, for a panel discussion hosted by Bec Jolly, our Director of Collaboration exploring the important impact in our collaborative work.

What is impact?

As part of this panel discussion, Tracy Collier shared what impact is and how impact measurement can form the basis for the work we do, identifying whether what we are doing is having the impact we’re hoping for.

“It’s really about understanding the effects and changes that are occurring because of our work and who is being impacted by it … by measuring our impact, we can start to understand how [or if] our work is actually having the impact we hope it will.”

“Everything we do as humans and organisations, all of our decisions and our actions, have an impact on other people and the planet. Impact can be positive or negative … it exists whether we want to put it in an Impact Framework or not … however, you can’t change what you can’t see.”

Measuring impact allows us to:

Understand the value that we have on our customers and communities
Learn and try new things
Test our assumptions for the work we do.

Why did we develop the Energy Charter Impact Framework?

We were excited to officially launch the Energy Charter Impact Framework during this online session!

Sabiene shared the reasons behind why we wanted to measure our collective impact.

“We’re busy running, all day, every day. Sometimes we don’t have time to look up and say ‘why are we doing this stuff?’ We all come into our work at the Energy Charter with making customer and community lives better, but do we actually know if that’s what it’s leading to? … The question is: what is the actual impact on the humans on the ground?”

Sabiene encouraged the need for us all to have the ‘hold up the mirror’ conversation, to take time to understand why are you doing what you’re doing and seeing if you’re having the impact you think you’re working towards.

Tracy reflected “At the Energy Charter, it’s about better customer and community outcomes, so the Impact Framework helps to define what those outcomes are and how do we know we’re achieving those.”

We knew that we wanted our Impact Framework to be an evidence-based process, created to understand, measure and communicate the impact of our collective work.

Tracy went on to share that “while working with the Energy Charter, we learnt that there really is benefit around the #BetterTogether initiatives and how it provides a space and a process for people to go from ‘hard-to-do’ challenges to ‘we can do this together’.”

Energy Charter Impact Framework overview

The Energy Charter Impact Framework has been designed to help us define, measure and communicate the impact of the collective work of the Energy Charter for customers and communities throughout our #BetterTogether initiatives.

To learn more, watch the short video below of Tracy explaining the high-level steps of our Impact Framework or jump over to our Impact Framework page for more details on each step.

Benefits of focusing on impact for the energy sector

Within the Energy Charter, Sabiene explained that we will be using our Impact Framework across our #BetterTogether Initiatives and Communities of Practice, “but really the opportunity is the nudge the energy sector more broadly.”

To help with application of impact thinking across the sector, “we have set up an Impact Working Group which brings representatives from each of the Signatories together to talk about what this could look like for their business”.

As we work across the entire energy sector, being able to see things from different perspectives with the impact lens is critical in understanding the whole impact of our collective efforts.

Sabiene explained that, “with many of our #BetterTogether initiatives, improvements to the impact of customers and communities will only work if, as a supply chain, we take a systems thinking approach. Our Impact Framework gives us the ability to do just that.”

Measuring impact at Thriving Communities Partnership

During the panel discussion, Ciara Sterling, CEO Thriving Communities Partnership (TCP) shared on the importance of measuring impact to meet their mission of every human within Australia having fair and equitable access to essential services and being able to thrive and live free from discrimination.

Ciara stated that throughout the process of developing an Impact Framework, TCP wanted to understand and measure their impact to enable them to dive into both the intended and unintended consequences of their work.

“Similar to the Energy Charter, we also have that unique position that often we are acting as an intermediary for a number of our projects, working to influence change in the systems.”

“One of our largest evaluations [through our Impact Framework] has been the One Stop One Story Hub, a cross-sector digital platform that really enables frontline workers to incorporate community and government organisations to connect and refer their customers/clients [humans] to a range of supports through a single access point.

We developed the Impact Framework during the co-design phase of the One Stop One Story Hub. We wanted the partners to be really involved in identifying the things that we want to measure.”

A key takeaway Ciara explored from their Impact Framework development was the need to measure the health and effectiveness of the partnerships throughout collaborative cross-sector work, especially looking at the ‘trust’ element being built between community and other organisations. This is evident in their evaluation of this project, including:

98% of TCP’s partners have ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that their partners would act in the best interest of people experiencing vulnerability
92% of TCP’s partners indicated that they were ‘constantly’ or ‘always’ learning from somebody else in the group

Being able to capture the outcomes and impact pathways shows that TCP are creating positive impact for the humans involved including those receiving the assistance, their partners and the organisations they’re working

A platform for learning

To round up the session, Tracy shared her experience of embedding impact thinking in organisations, including that an impact-first approach is usually seen has a ‘too-hard to do’ or a ‘nice-to-have’. However, having an Impact Framework provides people with the framework needed to start thinking of impact earlier on in the conversation. It allows for new ways to learn from each other and helps guide efforts in a direction that is led by its intended impact.

It’s also critical to have a quantitative and qualitative approach. Tracy explained that “those two things together can really give us the story and help unpack or uncover insights … people go into an Impact Framework and think it’s all about numbers, where there’s actually so much richness in the stories too.”

Watch the ‘Why does impact matter?’ online discussion

If you missed the ‘Why does impact matter’ panel discussion, or would like to revisit the conversation, you can watch the recording below.

About the guest speakers

Tracy Collier, Founder and Director at Action with Impact

Tracy is a leader and mentor in Social Innovation and Impact, driven by the vision of an inclusive, just, and sustainable world. She works with organisations to improve their social impact by considering the lived experience of the people they affect and the system they operate in.

Tracy’s approach combines design, research, evaluation, and partnership methods to deliver innovative and impactful solutions to complex problems. Tracy has a demonstrated history of developing strategic programs and partnerships between private, government, and social sectors to achieve social, economic, and environmental impact.

Ciara Sterling, CEO at Thriving Communities Partnership

Ciara Sterling is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Thriving Communities Partnership (TCP). TCP is a charity that convenes over 350 organisations across sectors and with people with lived experience to forge deeper understanding of vulnerability and drive ecosystem change through social design innovation.

Ciara Sterling has over 20 years’ experience collaborating across corporate, government, regulators, Ombudsman, community sectors and lived experience to address the root causes of vulnerability domestic abuse and inequality. Ciara is also a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Consumer Action Law Centre (CALC), is a member of the White Ribbon Advisory, the AER Customer Consultative Committee, and a founding member of the Economic Abuse Reference Group (EARG).

communities customers impact impact framework

March 2024 News Update

Landholder Engagement Training Brisbane 2024

In our March 2024 News Update, read about the second round of Landholder Engagement Training in Brisbane, the launch of the first-ever Better Practice Renewables and Biodiversity: Opportunities for Collaboration Guide, the Wimmera Southern Mallee Collaboration led by Wimmera Southern Mallee Development and much more.

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