Blog
Join our team as a Policy & Industry Engagement Manager
March 28, 2023
We're currently looking for a Policy & Industry Engagement Manager to join the RE-Alliance team. This is a working from home position, with location negotiable. We're a small and growing team of staff, spread out...
Read MoreOur energy transition presents a big opportunity for young Australians
March 23, 2023
– Toby Thorpe, Community Engagement Manager, Tasmania, RE-Alliance. Our transition to renewable energy presents opportunities to strengthen regional communities across the country, and make them thriving and resilient. But what does the energy transition...
Read MoreWind farm team chips in to help RFS volunteers fight Tambaroora fire
March 13, 2023
– Neville Mattick, Community Engagement Manager, Central-West Orana REZ, RE-Alliance. With a fire raging near Tambaroora NSW, the management team of the local Crudine Ridge Wind Farm made a surprise visit to the Hargraves...
Read MoreCreating an environmentally regenerative renewables industry
March 09, 2023
Think of your favourite place in nature in Australia. Is it the Great Barrier Reef? Or the Outback? Maybe our tropical rainforests? Whatever your answer is, it’s an example of the scale of biodiversity...
Read MoreExtra tall transmission towers can reduce impact in highly biodiverse areas
February 28, 2023
– Lu Allan, Advocacy Manager, RE-Alliance. On the weekend, I went up to visit Lake Morris just outside of Cairns, however I may or may not have become slightly distracted by this tall boy....
Read MoreVictorian landholders to get pay rise for hosting new transmission lines
February 24, 2023
A new payment scheme for Victorian farmers and landholders hosting transmission lines on their properties has been welcomed by community advocacy organisation, RE-Alliance. Under the scheme landholders will receive a $200,000 per kilometre payment,...
Read MoreThe future of community benefits in the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone
February 24, 2023
Last Friday, we hosted a fruitful discussion in Dubbo on community benefits funding for the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ). RE-Alliance is working in the Central-West Orana REZ to ensure that communities hosting...
Read MoreTransmission planner listens to community and develops better plan
February 23, 2023
Reflecting local community needs, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) announced a new preferred route for the critical VNI West transmission line earlier today. RE-Alliance, an independent community-based organisation, welcomes this change as it...
Read MoreState government showing leadership on transmission
February 20, 2023
The Victorian Government will use its powers to speed up the development of VNI West, the vital new interconnector between the Victorian and New South Wales electricity grids, and will engage communities to shape...
Read MoreTransmission social licence: Some parting reflections
February 10, 2023
– Kate Kotarska, Policy Manager, RE-Alliance. This is my final blog for RE-Alliance, as I start a new position with the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water on Monday....
Read MoreRE-Alliance submission to the Draft 2023 Inputs, Assumptions and Scenarios Report
February 10, 2023
We thank the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) for the opportunity to comment on the Draft 2023 Inputs, Assumptions and Scenarios Report (the IASR). The IASR includes key information and context for the inputs and...
Read MoreSubmission to the Incorporating an Emissions Reduction Objective into the National Energy Objectives Consultation Paper
February 08, 2023
We thank energy market officials for the opportunity to comment on the Incorporating an Emissions Reduction Objective into the National Energy Objectives Consultation Paper. RE-Alliance supports the proposed changes to the National Energy Objectives....
Read MoreSubmission to National Reconstruction Fund
February 07, 2023
RE-Alliance thanks the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water for considering our submission in its development of the National Reconstruction Fund. We applaud the Government for committing to its climate target...
Read MoreA transmission to-do list
February 07, 2023
– Kate Kotarska, Policy Manager, RE-Alliance. Our last blog looked at the recommendations from our Building Trust for Transmission report that have been implemented, and that have led to transmission-related reforms over the last...
Read MoreBuilding trust for transmission: what’s been achieved?
February 06, 2023
– Kate Kotarska, Policy Manager, RE-Alliance. Published in July 2021, our Building Trust for Transmission report made a series of recommendations to improve outcomes for local communities in the roll-out of transmission lines, including...
Read MoreComments on Powering the Regions Fund discussion paper
February 03, 2023
We thank the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water for considering our submission in the development of the Powering the Regions Fund. We applaud the Government for committing to its climate...
Read More10 in 10: Ten takeaways from RE-Alliance’s ten years
December 22, 2022
RE-Alliance was born ten years ago as the Victorian Wind Alliance. Since then we have worked with numerous people who are passionate about renewable energy: landholders, regional community groups and renewable energy companies who...
Read MoreNew REZ Announcement: An opportunity for community driven development
December 21, 2022
Earlier today, the Tasmanian government announced the start of the state’s first Renewable Energy Zone. RE-Alliance, an independent community-based organisation, welcomes this announcement as an opportunity to bring community interests and priorities into the...
Read MoreRE-Alliance's 2022 in review
December 20, 2022
– Andrew Bray, National Director, RE-Alliance. As 2022 draws to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you the dramatic changes these 12 months have brought and the way...
Read MoreVictorians vote for Australia’s most ambitious climate and renewable energy policies
December 01, 2022
Labor was returned to power in the Victorian state election on the weekend. With all the focus on the popularity or otherwise of the Premier, one aspect that may have been overlooked is that...
Read MoreSubmission on Inquiry Into Australia’s Transition to a Renewable Energy Superpower
November 30, 2022
We thank the Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth for the opportunity to make a submission to the Committee’s Inquiry Into Australia’s Transition to a Green Energy Superpower. Read full submission. As...
Read MoreSubmission to Senate Economics Committee on the National Energy Transition Authority Bill
November 28, 2022
Governments around the world have instituted Transition Authorities as a key mechanism to make sure workers and communities are active participants and beneficiaries of our future energy system. RE-Alliance applauds this move towards a...
Read MoreWhat COP27 means for Australia’s energy transformation and our communities
November 24, 2022
International climate meetings often happen a long way from home, and it can be hard to see how they impact regional communities in Australia. So, what can we take from the 27th annual climate...
Read MoreCritical report brings community interests into transmission planning
November 23, 2022
RE-Alliance has welcomed the recent release of the Australian Energy Market Commission’s (the Commission’s) Final Report of Stage 2 of the Transmission Planning and Investment Review. We particularly welcome recommendations concerning improved transmission company...
Read MoreSubmission on the Tasmanian Guidelines For Community Engagement, Benefit Sharing and Local Procurement
November 18, 2022
This submission is to the Tasmanian Government’s Renewables, Climate and Future Industries Tasmania (ReCFIT) in regard to the recently released Draft Guidelines for Community Engagement, Benefit Sharing and Local Procurement (referred to as the...
Read MoreSubmission to the Transmission Planning and Investment Review - Stage 3 Draft Report
November 03, 2022
Download full submission. We thank the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) for the opportunity to comment on the Draft Report into Transmission Planning and Investment Review (TPIR)- Stage 3. We have several overarching comments....
Read MoreSubmission to NSW Government’s Draft Network Infrastructure Strategy
October 28, 2022
View full submission. We thank the NSW Government for the opportunity to comment on the Draft Network Infrastructure Strategy (NIS). We consider that the Draft NIS adds value and that it should in future...
Read MoreWhat does the Federal Budget mean for Australia's Renewable Energy Zones?
October 27, 2022
We are really pleased to see the amount of attention this budget gives to regions, workers, First Nations people and community energy. We would like to see more support for communities in Renewable Energy...
Read MoreNSW farmers to get pay rise for hosting new transmission lines
October 25, 2022
A new payment scheme for NSW farmers and landholders hosting transmission lines on their properties has been welcomed by RE-Alliance as a start to reward landholders for their critical part in the energy transformation....
Read MoreWhat Victoria’s new energy announcements mean for regions
October 24, 2022
– Tony Goodfellow, VIC/TAS Coordinator, RE-Alliance. Last week, the Victorian Government made some huge and welcome commitments for our renewable energy future, provided they are re-elected in November. State Electricity Commission In a historic...
Read MoreFederal government announces welcome funding for transmission projects
October 21, 2022
– Kate Healey, Policy Manager, RE-Alliance. The first announcements under the Albanese government’s Rewiring the Nation program were released on Wednesday and they are BIG!! So big, in fact, that Minister for Climate Change...
Read More'Farm Powered' – Opportunities for farmers and regional communities from renewable energy
October 13, 2022
Read 'Farm Powered: Opportunities for regional communities in the renewable energy boom'. Our energy and food systems are increasingly intertwined. But are we really designing these systems for maximum mutual benefit? And how do...
Read MoreRecommendations to the Federal Government on the design of the Rewiring the Nation Policy
October 04, 2022
October 4, 2022 A group of 30 environment and climate organisations have today released recommendations to the Federal Government on the design of the Rewiring the Nation Policy. Download the full paper here. The...
Read MoreA "renewable energy industrial revolution" – the Queensland Power Plan
September 28, 2022
– Lu Allen, Advocacy Manager, RE-Alliance, based in Cairns. Today marks a historic turning point for Queensland's energy system. Today, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the long awaited Queensland Power Plan, which she titled a...
Read MoreLocal leadership for our energy future – the Gippsland New Energy Conference
September 20, 2022
– Tony Goodfellow, Victoria/Tasmania Coordinator, RE-Alliance. Last month, I attended the inaugural Gippsland New Energy Conference (GNEC). It was the largest regional energy transition event in Australia to date. It couldn’t be more timely...
Read MoreA short course to help communities and renewable energy developers work better together
September 19, 2022
To build an energy transformation that works for everyone, we need renewable energy developers who know how to work well with communities. It’s crucial that developers have the skills to sensitively manage community concerns,...
Read MoreUndergrounding Humelink would triple the cost, Transgrid report finds
September 13, 2022
- Kate Healey, Policy Manager, RE-Alliance. To get to a net-zero future, we need to build an immense amount of new renewable energy infrastructure, and quickly. In particular, we need to build a lot...
Read MoreWhat renewable energy can deliver with First Nations leadership
September 05, 2022
– Tony Goodfellow, VIC/TAS Coordinator, RE-Alliance. I had the pleasure of recently attending the inaugural First Nations Clean Energy Symposium, ‘People, Country, Opportunity’ with RE-Alliance’s National Director Andrew Bray. We were honoured to attend...
Read MoreThe solar farm with sheep built in and great community engagement practice
August 22, 2022
Blind Creek Solar Farm in New South Wales has sheep built in and great community engagement practice – and it recently won an award for it. Blind Creek Solar Farm (BCSF) was awarded the Clean...
Read MoreEnergy ministers prioritise environment and regional communities in energy transition planning
August 18, 2022
Some momentous strides forward for our renewable energy future were made on Friday. Federal, State and Territory Energy Ministers had their second meeting under the new Albanese government. They formed a new National Energy...
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