Powering up: Parliamentary roundtable on Australia's electricity grid

THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy will hold a roundtable public hearing on Thursday for its inquiry into modernising Australia’s electricity grid.

The Committee is conducting an inquiry into this important topic and has been receiving wide-ranging feedback from the Australian community via the online questionnaire created for the inquiry. The questionnaire can be accessed here.

In this initial roundtable the Committee is looking forward to hearing from the key players about the history of the electricity grid in Australia, how it developed to its current operational state, and the current challenges being faced by the grid in meeting modern demands.

Committee Chair, Andrew Broad MP, said “It’s becoming increasingly clear that the electricity grid in Australia is entering a significant period of transition. There are new sources of electricity, such as wind and solar, being fed into the grid, and consumers are demanding more information about how and why their electricity is being generated and distributed.”

“The Committee is conscious that there is a lot of work being done in this space currently. The government, regulators, operators and consumers are at a pivotal point in the future of energy in Australia, and a modern electricity grid is essential. There is a role for the community and lawmakers in shaping this change and modernisation. This Committee needs to be well-informed to ensure that its contribution is meaningful and appropriate,” Mr Broad said.

The Deputy Chair of the Committee, Pat Conroy MP, said “To kick off this inquiry, the roundtable being conducted on Thursday will help set the scene for this inquiry and help us —and the community—understand how the grid got to the point it did today. We will also be looking to identify some of the challenges with the current grid, which the Committee can investigate further and address throughout the inquiry.”

The Committee will hear from:

• The Commonwealth Department of the Environment and Energy
• Australian Energy Regulator
• Australian Energy Market Commission
• Australian Renewable Energy Agency
• the Clean Energy Finance Corporation
• Australian Energy Council
• Energy Networks Australia
• Energy Consumers Australia
• CSIRO
• The Australian National University – Energy Change Institute.

Public hearing details: 10:00am - 12:00pm, Thursday 30 March, Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

The hearing will be webcast at aph.gov.au/live. 

Interested members of the public may wish to track the committee via the website. 

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