In the November 2024 news update, you can register for the upcoming online event: Powering Through: What to know if you rely on medical equipment during a power outage in collaboration with the Consumer Health Forum for our #BetterTogether Life Support initiative. This will provide critical information to those who rely on life-saving equipment during power interruptions.

We are also proud to welcome the Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland (EWOQ) and Energy Corporation of NSW (EnergyCo) as Supporters of the Energy Charter.

Looking ahead, we invite you to join us at the Energy Charter CEO Council Forum: Putting Humans at the Heart of the Energy Transition on 2 December hosted by Cath Smith, Chair of our End-User Consultative Group. This is a unique opportunity to hear directly from our CEOs about how we’re collaborating to ensure that customer and community outcomes are front and centre in everything we do.

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! 

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Today, Energy Charter Signatories welcome Seán Mc Goldrick, CEO of Tasmania’s electricity transmission and distribution network TasNetworks, as the new Chair of the CEO Council for 2024.