From the CEO
Welcome to the final ECA newsletter for 2023. I’ll keep the intro short as you have plenty of other important things to do.
If you’re like me, you’ve just spent another sweaty night wondering how hot this summer might get. I was reminded yesterday that while this is the hottest year in my lifetime, it might yet prove among the coolest of the decades to come. Sorry for the lack of Christmas cheer but all the signs suggest this is probably true. For many Australians, abstract warnings of climate change are fast giving way to a humanly perceptible new reality.
Which brings me to the state of the energy transition. We’ve seen some big developments over the last year, particularly with plans to dramatically increase renewable capacity in the system. These are welcome changes but must now be matched by equivalent focus and investment on the consumer side. As our surveys and research consistently demonstrate, consumers for the most part find themselves trapped in the headlights, knowing massive change is bearing down on them but having little idea what to do about it. Some might say, rather politely, that this is “consumer inertia”; I think many people are simply frozen, either by their lack of knowledge or capacity or both.
So, what do I want for Christmas? Well, I want 2024 to be the turning point, the year historians look back on as the pivot when policy makers finally invited consumers into the ‘transition tent’. I want Australian consumers to be fully recognised – in law, policy, research, and funding – as the fundamental enablers of a new energy economy. One other time in recent history Australian households received just such an invitation and promptly responded by becoming the country’s largest generator – via 3.5 million rooftop solar installations – and the world’s fastest adopter of domestic solar technology. Australians can win the race, but only if they’re invited to the event.
We need more of this kind of policymaking; inspired, collective, empirical – but with a laser-sharp focus on how everyone can benefit from the transition, especially those who might otherwise be left behind.
So, over to you Santa.
Brendan
