Network operator Transgrid has launched a four-year community sentiment program that seeks written feedback and opinions from a wide range of people living and working around major projects.
The Local Voices program is being delivered in partnership with Voconiq, an independent organisation that measures community sentiment.
Initially, Voconiq will survey community members and landowners in the footprints of the EnergyConnect and HumeLink projects to enable Transgrid to understand what issues are driving views within the community.
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So far 144 responses have been received to the survey, including 30 from landowners, with the opportunity for people to respond until the end of August.
The Local Voices survey will be conducted once every six months. This will allow Transgrid to track changes over time and understand if changes to improve our engagement with the community and landowners have the right impact.
To show its appreciation towards community members for giving their time to complete the survey, Transgrid will donate $10,000 to charities that provide services in our regions, based on the indicated preferences of participants.
The survey is just one of the ways Transgrid is listening to communities, in addition to regular meetings and engagements with communities and landowners.
Transgrid has also released its new Community Engagement Policy, which outlines the network’s ambition to listen, respond and work with communities to ensure their views are embedded into decision making
Landowner and Community Advocate Rod Stowe helped develop the policy.
“It’s been great to see Transgrid embrace the concept of a Community Engagement policy and it is something to build on. I’m keen to see the follow through on this step-change – listening and responding to communities,” Stowe said.
The new policy recognises the vital role that landowners and the community have in the planning and delivery of Transgrid’s projects and network operations, and follows the guiding principles set out in the Energy Charter, an industry-led initiative to deliver a more affordable, reliable and sustainable energy system for Australians.
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Transgrid executive general manager of major projects Gordon Taylor said, “The aim of the policy is to build trusted and beneficial relationships with the community. It’s so important we gain the communities’ trust while we are planning and constructing our assets so we leave a positive legacy,” Taylor said.
The policy establishes that Transgrid is committed to listening, seeking to understand, and acting on what matters most to communities and working with communities in meaningful, accountable, responsive and equitable ways.
