WHEN
Tuesday 11 October, 12pm (AEDT)
WHERE
Zoom. Link sent upon registration.
CONTACT
Claire Boyle
[email protected]
Australia is on the cusp of one of the biggest energy system investments in our history with the roll-out of renewables, but farming communities are often being overlooked.
Join us for the launch of our landmark report, Farm Powered: Opportunities for regional communities in the renewable energy boom, which lays out a plan for farming communities to participate in and benefit from the rollout of renewable energy.
We will hear from the report author, Karin Stark, followed by a discussion facilitated by Dr Fiona Davis with Karin and Professor Ross Garnaut.
Authored by Karin, together with Andy Bray and Kate Healey (RE Alliance), and Neil Gibbs (Online Power), Farm Powered identifies key policy solutions, including incentivising on-farm renewables, fixing the distribution network to make it work for farming communities, support for ‘agrivoltaics’, and ensuring farming communities can fairly share the benefits of transmission line infrastructure.
The report will be released the morning of this event and sent to all those who register to attend.
Photo credit: Paul Squires
Getting this right would benefit all Australians. Renewable energy helps to reduce input costs for food production, build resilience, and provide a faster, cheaper, more efficient, and effective path to the renewable energy system we need.
Speakers
Dr Fiona Davis
Fiona grew up on a dairy farm in northern Victoria and began reporting on agriculture while still at high school. She honed her writing skills working at regional and agricultural newspapers, Country News and Stock & Land. Fiona also worked at Currie Communications, supporting agricultural, environmental and governmental clients. She was awarded a PhD in history from the University of Melbourne in 2011, and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Australian Catholic University in 2018. Fiona was Farmers for Climate Action’s Deputy Director between 2018 and 2021, before moving into the CEO role in March of 2021.
Karin Stark
Karin Stark’s international and professional history combines 19 years of engagement with communities around contemporary environmental issues. She’s Director of Farm Renewables Consulting and convenes the National Renewables in Agriculture Conference. Karin is a member of Farmers for Climate Action and lives on a cotton farm that uses solar pumping, near Narromine.
Professor Ross Garnaut AC
Ross Garnaut is an economist whose career has been built around the analysis of and practice of policy connected to development, economic policy and international relations in Australia, Asia and the Pacific. He has held senior roles in universities, business, government and other Australian and international institutions. He is Professorial Research Fellow in Economics at the University of Melbourne. In 2009 Ross was awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, from the Australian National University and in 2013 he received a Doctor of Science in Economics, honoris causa, from the University of Sydney. Ross’s latest book, The Superpower Transformation, is available here.
