LEADERS' FORUM ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Sydney, 19 July 2016
Australian leaders from politics, business and the community sector joined to discuss the future of energy efficiency and set the agenda for the new federal government. The executive lunch was attended by energy users, efficiency providers, policy makers and the energy industry.
The forum featured:
- Dr John Hewson AM who provided a keynote address on the transformation of the local and global energy sector.
Click here to download audio from Dr John Hewson’s Keynote Address.
- Californian and Australian experts discussed current and future energy efficiency policy, with perspectives from the property sector, the community services sector and the leading US state on efficiency.
- The 1st edition of the Energy Efficiency Policy Handbook was launched at the event. The Handbook is a comprehensive guide to the policies that Australia needs to meet its energy productivity target, grow the economy and cut emissions.
Speaker biographies
Keynote speaker - Dr John Hewson AM
Dr Hewson is a renowned economist and public figure who has held senior roles in business, government and academia. He is currently Professor and Chair of the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute at Crawford School, ANU, and has been a professor at three other universities. Dr Hewson worked as a bureaucrat for the Treasury, the Reserve Bank, the IMF, the ADB and the UN. He was Leader of the Liberal Party and worked for two Treasurers and a Prime Minister. Dr Hewson was a founder of Macquarie Bank, Chairman of ABN Amro Australia and has been on the board of a host of public and private companies, charities and not-for-profits.
Dr Hewson has been an activist on climate change for over 25 years, and led many businesses that demonstrate the range of business opportunities that can flow from such a response. He is currently a Patron of the Solar Council of Australia and Chairman of Solastor Australia, a company that plans to build a $1.2 billion 170 MW solar-thermal plant in Port Augusta.
David Hochschild - Californian Energy Commission
David is a Commissioner at the California Energy Commission, California’s primary energy policy and planning agency. Commissioner Hochschild formerly worked in both the public and private sectors. He co-founded the Vote Solar advocacy organization, was Executive Director of a solar industry association, served as a Commissioner at the Public Utilities Commission and drove San Francisco’s $100 million initiative to put solar PV on public buildings.
Stella Avramopoulos - Kildonan Uniting Care
Stella is the Chief Executive of Kildonan Uniting Care. Kildonan has been recognised as a leader in innovative community services, including energy efficiency programs for Aboriginal and vulnerable households. Stella’s diverse career has focused on helping communities to thrive, with a particular passion for assisting at-risk youth. In 2015 Stella was acknowledged as one of the 25 most influential people in Australia’s community sector.
Romilly Madew - Green Building Council of Australia
Romilly is the Chief Executive Officer of the Green Building Council of Australia. She sits on the leadership groups of numerous Australian and international organisations, and has a global reputation as an influential advocate and change agent. Romilly was named Pittwater’s Citizen of the Year in 2016, was awarded the International Leadership Award by the US Green Building Council in 2015 and was the National and NSW winner of the Telstra Business Women’s Awards (Community & Government) in 2009.