29.02.2024Meet the Minister, The Hon. Lily D’Ambrosio MP: Shaping Melbourne’s Energy
Today, members of the committee had the opportunity to engage with the Honourable Lily D’Ambrosio, Minister for Climate Action, Energy, Resources and the State Electricity Commission, during a dynamic luncheon hosted by The University of Melbourne and sponsored by Melbourne Airport.
Vice Chancellor of The University of Melbourne, Duncan Maskell, opened the discussion by giving a warm welcome to guests before emphasising the importance of collectively addressing climate change and highlighting the university’s initiatives that have enabled the University to climb to within the top 10 in the world in the latest QS Sustainability Rankings.
Minister D’Ambrosio shared her perspectives on various significant topics, including emissions reduction targets, installing transmission infrastructure, transitioning to gas, ensuring a balanced energy mix and improving energy storage.
Mark Melvin, CEO at Committee for Melbourne, moderated a vibrant panel discussion with Minister D’Ambrosio, Chief Executive Officer of Australia Pacific Airports Lorie Argus, Director of Melbourne Energy Institute Michael Brear and Director of Policy & Advocacy of Committee for Melbourne Leanne Edwards that highlighted the complexity of the above mentioned challenges, as well as meeting the skills requirements for delivering on the agenda.
The panel acknowledged Melbourne’s strengths and the significant investments and policies being made by the Victorian Government, including its ambitious and admirable Net Zero targets. There’s a consensus that the complexity of the issue means we need to all work together to ensure we can transition to renewables and meet the infrastructure requirements for the transition.
Committee for Melbourne’s Benchmarking Melbourne 2023 (https://melbourne.org.au/news/launch-of-benchmarking-melbourne-2023-report/) report reveals that Melbourne is ranked 12th out of 20 peer cities for environmental outcomes. This suggests an opportunity for our city to focus on decarbonisation and improve our sustainability in the future.
Thank you to our host The University of Melbourne and sponsor Melbourne Airport for delivering an inspiring and thought provoking event.
