Superpower: Australia's low carbon opportunity

Image for Superpower: Australia's low carbon opportunity

Kathleen Fitzpatrick Theatre, Arts West, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010

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  • FREE PANEL LECTURE

"The fog of Australian politics on climate change has obscured a fateful reality: Australia has the potential to be an economic superpower of the future post-carbon world" - Professor Ross Garnaut

In his new book Superpower, Ross Garnaut argues that with Australia’s unparalleled renewable energy resources and excellent scientific skills, we could be the natural home for an increasing proportion of global industry.

Please join Ross Garnaut at the University of Melbourne, along with energy market experts Audrey Zibelman (CEO Australian Energy Market Operator) and Rod Sims (Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) to discuss the road map for Australia’s energy and climate transition, as outlined in Superpower, covering energy, transport, agriculture, the international trends and more. This will be a panel discussion.


About the Presenters

Professor Ross Garnuat
Ross Garnaut is Professorial Research Fellow in Economics at The University of Melbourne, previously Distinguished Professor of Economics at the Australian University. Professor Garnaut has had longstanding and successful roles as policy advisor, diplomat and businessman. He is the author of a number of influential reports to the Australian Government, including- Australia and the Northeast Asian Ascendancy, The Garnaut Climate Change Review 2008, and The Garnaut Review 2011: Australia and the Global Response to Climate Change. Professor Garnaut has chaired the boards of major Australian and International companies since 1988. Professor Garnaut was made Office of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1991 for education and international relations and a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in 2007 for climate change and energy. He is Distinguished Fellow of the Australian Economics Society, Distinguished Life Member of the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences and the Honorary Professor of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Audrey Zibelman
Audrey is CEO of the Australian Energy Market Operator and in this role she oversees all of AEMO’s strategic, operations and administrative functions and responsibilities. Audrey has more than 30 years’ international experience in the public, private, and not-for profit energy sectors. Prior to joining AEMO in March 2017, her roles included Chair of the New York State Public Service Commission, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of system operator PJM, executive roles with Xcel Energy, one of the United States largest integrated gas and electricity utilities and served on a number of energy industry advisory groups and Boards.In addition to her role as CEO of AEMO, Audrey also serves on the CSIRO Energy Advisory Committee, the Melbourne Energy Institute’s Advisory Board and the Board of the Melbourne Recital Centre.

Rod Sims
Rod Sims was appointed Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in August 2011 for a five-year term, reappointed for a further three years in August 2016, and now a further three years until July 22. Rod has extensive business and public sector experience. Immediately prior to his appointment to the ACCC he was, for example, the Chairman of the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal of New South Wales, Commissioner on the National Competition Council and was also a Director of Port Jackson’s Partners Limited where he advised the CEOs and Boards of some of Australia’s top 50 companies on commercial corporate strategy over many years. Rod Sims holds a first-class honours degree in Commerce from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Economics from the Australian National University.

Hosted by The Faculty of Business & Economics, The Melbourne Energy Institute, The Energy Transition Hub & Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute