Social Licence Community of Practice: Building Trust Through Better Practice
The purpose of this Community of Practice is to bring together people with boots on the ground in the energy transition to explore the challenges, learnings and opportunities to build and prioritise trust with landholders, communities, Traditional Custodians, Local Governments and other key stakeholders. We will do this through topical presentations and discussions exploring the themes of engaging meaningfully, managing impacts, realising benefits and being accountable.
Join the community
These sessions are open to anyone who would like to come along and learn. To attend these sessions on an ongoing basis, join the Community for Social Licence: Building trust through better practice. This will provide you with:
- Receive the meeting invitations directly in your calendar as soon as they are announced
- No need to register for individual sessions
- Have the opportunity to provide feedback and input into session format and topics.
Register for individual sessions
If you would prefer to register for individual Community of Practice sessions, keep an eye on this page and Energy Charter news for when registrations go live for upcoming sessions.
Register now: Understanding the human side of the shift to renewables
As Australia accelerates its shift to renewable energy, ensuring that communities, customers and landholders are genuinely engaged is more critical than ever. How do we build trust and attain social licence in a way that industry and communities work together to create shared value?
Join us for this Social Licence Community of Practice session, where two expert speakers will unpack the human dimensions of this complex energy transformation.
What to expect:
Louise Pogmore, Partner at KPMG – A leading energy sector specialist, Louise will share insights on KPMG’s Trust Model and practical strategies for putting people at the heart of complex transformations, like the shift to renewable energy. Louise will explore how this model applies to decision-making, bridging the trust gap, fostering genuine engagement, and ensuring that renewables development aligns with community needs, balancing industry progress with shared value.
Dr Kimberley Crofts, Researcher & Engagement Specialist –Transition is about both moving toward the new and acknowledging what is being left behind. Often, in the rush to embrace renewables, the industries and communities affected by change are overlooked. Kimberley will explore the critical role of genuine engagement where communities are valued for their expertise in their own regions, rather than just their ability to understand technical ‘energy transition’ concepts. She will highlight the importance of shaping renewable development principles before industry arrives, ensuring real community benefits. Drawing on lessons from the Hunter Valley and Newcastle, she will discuss the importance of clearly defining ‘community benefits’ and managing reputational risks, as seen in the closure of the BHP steelworks.
This session is designed for professionals working in energy, policy, community engagement, and sustainability who want to deepen their understanding of social licence and how to foster meaningful collaboration in the shift to renewables.
Register now and be part of the conversation!
Date: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 PM
Online Event
Meet the host
Melissa Pisani, Head of Communications + Stakeholder Engagement, Ark Energy
Melissa has more than 20 years’ experience working in communications and stakeholder relations, and joined the renewable energy industry in 2020.
Over the past five years she has been involved in stakeholder relations and community engagement for 14 utility-scale renewable energy projects.
As Head of Communications & Stakeholder Engagement for Ark Energy, Melissa guides and develops the company’s community engagement practice for a growing portfolio of renewable energy (wind, solar, battery energy storage, hydrogen) projects across New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania.
Melissa is passionate about the clean energy transition and facilitating it through inclusive and genuine collaboration with local stakeholders, to deliver meaningful, legacy outcomes for regional communities.
Resource library + recorded sessions
In this session, we heard from experts and boots on the ground to better understand biosecurity management in today’s high-risk environment. With threats like bird flu, foot-and-mouth disease and other emerging biosecurity risks, it’s more important than ever to elevate how we protect farms and projects throughout the energy transition.
Hear from four speakers across agriculture, renewable energy and transmission operations who will share case studies and better practice solutions.
Queensland Farmers’ Federation – The farmer perspective
Dr Laurie Dowling, Agriculture and Biosecurity Coordination Officer, Queensland Farmers’ Federation shared on:
- Why biosecurity is critical for famers
- Why there are increasing concerns (changes over the last 30 years)
- Pathways for entry (kinds of risks)
- Biosecurity responsibilities
AusNet Services – Biosecurity management in the transmission sector
Taree Lamplugh, Engagement Lead, AusNet Services who shared on:
- AusNet’s approach to biosecurity management
- Recent project experience
Tilt Renewables – Biosecurity management in the renewables sector
Daved Owen, Environmental Compliance Manager, Tilt Renewables who shared on:
- Tilt Renewables’ operating context
- Overview of biosecurity management and measures during project development and construction
- Biosecurity management during operations including compliance, O&M contractors, inductions
ExoFlare – Biosecurity management software solution
Andrea Koch and Chris Aitken, Exoflare who shared on:
- Jurisdictional responsibility around Emergency Animal Diseases (EAD)
- Record keeping and good practice between entities – farmers and businesses
- Compliance with place-based biosecurity management plans + movement permits
- ExoFlare solution and how it looks in practice
- Data sharing + understanding the network and benefits
Download Andrea + Chris’ presentation
Watch the recording
What is social licence?
‘Social licence to operate’ is traditionally a concept that reflects community acceptance or approval around the operations of an organisation and its developments. It emerged in the late 1990s, as affected communities and governments required the mining industry to increase its focus on social obligations and corporate social responsibility programs. It is now considered a key condition for many other industries, including in the energy sector.
Establishing social licence is not simple, is easily lost and difficult to re-gain. The energy transition in Australia is well underway but has met resistance from the communities being impacted in the process. The outcome? Project delays, increased costs to consumers and declining trust in the energy sector.
Our approach
Through lived experience research, together with our research partner KPMG, we’ve identified that the key factors influencing social licence are:
- Trust from the community
- Genuine engagement
- Acknowledging and managing impacts
- Delivering benefits to affected communities
- Being accountable.
Social licence exists on a spectrum and is dynamic. It can be weakened and strengthened by the actions of businesses and communities at any point within a project lifecycle.
Want to know more?
If you would like to learn more about this Community of Practice, or upcoming sessions, please reach out to Martine Holberton, Director, Renewables or Heather Wagland, Director, Energy Transition.
Building social licence for renewable infrastructure projects, Better Practice Social Licence Guideline
