TALENT ALERT: CLIMATE AND ENERGY EXPERTS AVAILABLE TO COMMENT ON FEDERAL BUDGET
Climate Media Centre
Tuesday 12 May 2026
The Albanese Government will deliver the Federal Budget in Canberra tonight. The Climate Media Centre has experts available across clean transport, renewable energy and climate for analysis and commentary.
Recent YouGov polling found that almost two thirds of Australians (62%) want the government to prioritise investment in renewable energy, not coal and gas in tonight’s budget. Amid the fuel crisis, the polling found that the majority of Australians want tonight’s budget to help them electrify their homes and transport.
The below experts are available for comment.
To arrange interviews, please contact:
Gabrielle Platt on 0493 442 307 or [email protected] *
Jemimah Taylor on 0478 924 425 or [email protected] (after 3pm)
*Available for enquiries before 3pm.
Additional resources:
Experts available to speak on cleaner transport:
James Pickering, National President of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association
James can speak to changes to the Electric Car Discount and electric and hybrid vehicles reducing Australia’s reliance on imported fuels and saving their owners money.
Location: Adelaide, SA
Aman Gaur, Head of Legal and Advocacy at the Electric Vehicle Council
Aman can speak to changes to the Electric Car Discount and the Electric Vehicle Council’s recent behavioural research data that reveals that working families in Australia's outer suburbs are benefitting the most from EV incentives and will be most deterred from buying EVs if the Federal and NSW government ditch EV incentives and introduce EV road user charges.
Location: Melbourne, VIC
Shirley Saywell, Manager at Brady and Kibble Transport
Shirley operates eight semitrailers and can speak to any budget measures around electric trucks, electrification as an urgent policy initiative and her desire to replace her diesel freight trucks with electric models for greater security and lower pollution.
Location: Euroa, VIC
Experts available to speak on renewable energy:
Warwick Johnston, Founder and Managing Director of SunWiz
Warwick Johnston is the founder and Managing director of SunWiz, a solar energy consultancy firm. Warwick can speak to budget measures related to solar and battery storage.
Location: Warrandyte, VIC
Kevin Morrison, Energy Finance Analyst, Australian Gas at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA)
Kevin can speak to budget measures related to gas, and how imported oil and exported gas means international conflicts quickly translate into price rises and insecurity at home. Kevin can also speak to shared and public transport and electrification.
Location: Sydney, NSW
Tim Buckley, Founder and Director at Climate Energy Finance
Tim can speak to the need to reduce fuel dependence, power heavy industry with Australian renewables, cut household bills with electrified homes, solar and batteries and make gas corporations pay their fair share of tax.
Location: Sydney, NSW
Stephanie Bashir, Founder and CEO of Nexa Advisory
Stephanie is an energy expert with more than two decades of experience across the Australian energy sector and the broader economies it impacts. Stephanie has expertise in energy market policy and regulation, new energy technologies and service innovation, as well as networks and grid modernisation.
Location: Melbourne, VIC
Trevor Brown, Convenor of Electrify Armidale
Trevor can speak to home electrification, changes to the Cheaper Home Batteries program and ensuring that household electrification is equitable and accessible to lower income and vulnerable Australians.
Location: Armidale, NSW
Satya Tanner, Tanner Consultancy Services and Adjunct Fellow, University of the Sunshine Coast.
Satya can speak to budget measures related to fuel security and energy security. She can speak to 'nested self-sufficiency' and what that means for resilience, energy security, economic security, national security, and all the downstream uses of energy that we’re feeling the heat on right now amid the fuel crisis.
Location: Sunshine Coast, QLD
Matt McKee is Chief Researcher at Beyond Zero Emissions, an independent think tank developing practical, engineering-led pathways for Australia’s zero-emissions future.
Can talk to why the government is shortsighted to spend $10bn on a strategic fuel reserve and possibly apply capital gains tax to renewable energy projects. BZE research shows they should have instead invested in a national coordination authority for the clean energy transition, and provided more support for renewable energy, key transmission projects and the clean manufacturing industry - for example helping smelters to electrify, rather than simply providing bail outs.
Location: Brisbane, Qld
Experts available to speak on climate adaptation:
Serena Joyner, CEO Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action is a community advocate who can speak to the growing damage bill from climate-fueled disasters and the budget black hole around climate adaptation. A founding member of the Make Big Polluters Pay campaign, Serena is looking to see increased funding for communities to better prepare for climate change, paid for by taxes or levies on the big polluters - coal and gas exporters.
Location: Blue Mountains, NSW
“Shifting more of the cost burden onto those driving climate pollution would not only be fairer — it would help fund the urgent investments needed to protect communities. Without serious investment in climate adaptation and resilience, Australians will continue to pay — through higher costs, greater disruption, and increasing exposure to extreme weather."
Experts available to speak on intergenerational equity:
Anjali Sharma, Founder of the Duty of Care Campaign
Anjali campaigns for intergenerational climate equity. Anjali led a class action of young people against the federal Environment Minister and now campaigns to legislate a Climate Duty of Care. She wants her generation to be front of mind in the energy transition.
Location: Canberra, ACT
Grace Vegesana, National Director at the Australian Youth Climate Coalition
Grace Vegesana (she/they) is the National Director of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Australia's largest youth-run organisation focusing on climate change and the energy transition. Grace can speak to budget measures related to young people, future generations and climate-related youth issues.
Location: Thirroul, NSW
Contact details:
To arrange interviews, please contact:
Gabrielle Platt on 0493 442 307 or [email protected] (7am-3pm)
Jemimah Taylor on 0478 924 425 or [email protected] (after 3pm)