Today’s response by the Energy and Climate Ministerial Council to Andrew Dyer’s Community Engagement Review means Australia can move forward in securing an energy transformation that delivers long-term benefits to regional Australia.

RE-Alliance is an independent community-based organisation working with regions navigating renewable energy projects for more than a decade.

Andrew Bray, National Director of RE-Alliance, said he supports the recommendations in the Review to better communicate with and involve local communities, but stressed more concrete and ambitious actions are required. 

“State and Federal governments are spending billions to attract investment in renewable energy, but a financial investment in building trust in the process is just as important,” said Andrew Bray, National Director, RE-Alliance.

Bray said that for local communities to get the most out of energy projects in their area, they needed better access to reliable information and avenues for them to engage in the process.

“We’d like to see governments take a three pronged approach here. Communicate more actively about the shift, use the CSIRO as a trusted source of information and invest in Local Energy Hubs in Renewable Energy Zones across Australia,” he said.

“Imagine if you could walk into a physical drop-in centre to understand why new energy infrastructure was needed in your regional community, and then have all the information you need in one place to work out how your community could benefit?” Bray said.

“These Local Energy Hubs could bring communities into the conversation from the very beginning – which is crucial.”

“RE-Alliance has been working with regional communities for the last ten years. It’s with this experience that we call on the Federal Government to invest in Local Energy Hubs.” Bray said.

For more information on Local Energy Hubs go to re-alliance.org.au/leh_info.

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For media inquiries and interviews please contact Andrew Bray on 0434 769 463.