From the Interim CEO
This past month we’ve seen a transformation in Australia.
I am, of course, talking about our collective adoption of the Matildas. We’re now all experts on the offside rule; can reel off stats about Kerr, Raso, and Foord; and, most significantly, we’ve embraced women’s sport.
To the outside eye, this transformation has happened overnight. However, behind the scenes, coach Gustavsson had a clear plan, which he and the team have rolled out in the years leading up to the World Cup. This did not occur by chance.
Australian households are also undergoing a transformation that is no less monumental as we change the ways we heat, cool, and cook; and design our homes.
Five million households are connected to the gas network. These households collectively use around 18 million gas appliances. Australia has another 15 million fossil-fuelled passenger vehicles on the road today. To meet our net zero commitments, these 33 million machines must be replaced with electric alternatives. The scale of the change required is unprecedented.
How we get from where we are now to an all-electric future requires planning, support, and clear communication with households. Many households will be unable to make their changes on their own and will need support. These changes require a national multi-year plan that is even more far-reaching than Gustavsson’s.
This month, we launched a landmark report, Stepping Up, which investigates the cost benefits and barriers for households in going all electric. Significantly, it also includes a series of policy recommendations about how to achieve this. Chief among them is a recommendation for a new national partnership of all three levels of government to coordinate the energy transition for consumers and ensure it is as smooth as possible.
To do that, governments will need to develop that national plan. The plan will require a combination of top-down and structural policies that enable the shift away from fossil fuels, and bottom-up actions to support households when they’re making the change.
If governments step up and work together, all Australians can share access to the benefits of the transition, providing additional benefits for our communities, the economy, and the environment.
The Matildas have shown us what can happen when a collective vision grips the nation, I’m confident that household electrification can have its own Matildas moment.
Jacqueline Crawshaw
Interim Chief Executive Officer
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