MEDIA BRIEFING - Victoria's energy choice: what's at stake at the November election.
Climate Media Centre
MEDIA BRIEFING – Victoria's energy choice: what's at stake at the November election.
Co-hosted by the Smart Energy Council and the Climate Media Centre
Four parties, two very different power systems, one election. A briefing for journalists on the evidence, the numbers and the likely flashpoints.
WHEN: Monday 31 August 2026,
TIME: 10:00 – 10:45 AEST
FORMAT: Online, 30 min + 15 min Q&A
REGISTER: https://smartenergy-org-au.
Victorians go to the polls on 28 November, and the ground has shifted. Ben Carroll is Premier. Lily D'Ambrosio – architect of the state's transition settings since 2014 – has left the portfolio and won't recontest. Jess Wilson is campaigning on scrapping the renewable energy target, 2km wind setbacks, new gas exploration, reversing the gas phase out policy, and committing the state to more gas peaking capacity… and then there’s the political rise of One Nation. All eyes will be on the Victorian state election.
The practical stakes are immediate: the Gippsland offshore wind auction is due to launch, Yallourn closes in 2028, VNI West threatens to be scrapped, and building electrification rules start on 1 January 2027.
What we'll cover: bills and cost of living, reliability and the Yallourn deadline, the gas question, wind and transmission in the regions, investment risk to the project pipeline – plus the data sources and campaign milestones worth diarising.
SPEAKERS:
- Tennant Reed, Director - Climate Change and Energy, Australian Industry Group
- Stephanie Bashir, CEO, Nexa Advisory (former Senior Director Public Policy at AGL)
- Craig Henderson, Wimmera grain farmer – Victorian Farmers Federation Grains Council
- Jeremy Watson, business owner of Brimbank Veterinary Clinic and Hospital. What started as a climate driven electrification journey, including getting off gas, Jeremy’s business has permanently slashed energy overheads through renewable energy and storage.
Moderator: Danielle Veldre, Climate Media Centre
On the record and quotable unless a speaker states otherwise. Recording and transcript to registrants afterwards. All speakers available for one-on-one interviews.
Register to attend: https://smartenergy-org-au.
Contact details:
RSVP and enquiries: Gabrielle Platt, Climate Media Centre – gabrielle.platt@