Energy Efficiency Council backs Equal by 30 campaign 08 March 2022
In celebration of International Women’s Day, the Energy Efficiency Council (EEC), Australia’s industry association for energy management, energy efficiency and demand response, has announced its commitment to the Equal by 30 campaign, and highlighted the crucial role of a new baseline survey of energy employment in supporting women to enter the sector.
This move reflects the EEC’s commitment to working towards equal pay, equal leadership and equal opportunities for women in Australia’s energy management sector by 2030.
Equal by 30 to underpin EEC’s efforts on diversity
Equal by 30, a campaign that works to advance the participation of women in the clean energy transition and to close the gender gap, has been endorsed by a host of private sector organisations and 13 national governments, including the Australian Government, which joined the initiative at COP26 in Glasgow in late 2021.
Dr Mary Stewart, President of the Energy Efficiency Council, said that the move highlights the EEC’s commitment to unlocking the benefits of diversity in the energy management sector. “Research consistently demonstrates that a diverse workforce and gender-balanced boardrooms result in better organisational performance and stronger results. Equal by 30 provides an important platform for the EEC to highlight these benefits, and work with members and the broader industry to ensure the transformation underway in the way we generate, use and manage energy benefits everyone equally.”
The EEC has gender parity within its staff, executive leadership team and Board, and is working on a range of initiatives to support the broader industry in improving diversity and inclusion within their own operations.
Australian Energy Employment Report to provide crucial data for diversity push
The EEC has also welcomed the recent announcement from the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER) that it will develop an Australian Energy Employment Report (AEER), which will provide crucial data that will support this effort. Undertaken biennially, the AEER will report progress on job creation and diversity within the sector.
The EEC’s Head of Projects, Holly Taylor, said: “The AEER will provide baseline data that will support planning for an appropriately sized, skilled and informed workforce. It will also collect data on key diversity metrics, including gender, supporting government and industry with creating drivers to realise gender equality and the associated benefits of that within Australia’s energy sector.”
The EEC’s CEO, Luke Menzel said the data provided by the AEER will be crucial to ensuring women and other under-represented groups have a pathway into the sector. “The baseline data from the AEER will help government and industry to roll out policy and programs that support gender equality, and deliver Australia’s energy transition in a way that supports women to succeed at every level of our industry.”
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For further information contact:
Holly Taylor
Head of Projects
Energy Efficiency Council
0481 346 145
holly.taylor@eec.org.au