Thank you to all who have supported the work of Committee for Ballarat again in 2024. It’s been another full year, made possible only because our committed members, key stakeholders, board and staff.
Population Growth has been a major focus of our work and in particular, our response to the State Government’s Plan for Victoria. Readers will be aware we have engaged extensively with the Government, the Opposition and many others, through direct advocacy, formal submissions, thought leadership and a state-wide collaborative approach. Fundamental to our position is that a more equitable distribution of population across the state, driven by policies to enable regional growth and development, will result in a more liveable, inclusive, sustainable and prosperous Victoria.
2024 has seen the Ballarat Energy Network emerge from a concept to a feasible and commercially viable opportunity. Readers of our November edition of Thinking Ahead will recall the headline results from our first pilot project, focusing on the BWEZ Industrial Precinct.
- 46.4% average reduction in the amount of electricity imports from the Grid
- Emissions reductions over a 15-year period of 92,415 tonnes of CO2
- Made possible with a realistic approach to Roof Top Solar (much of which currently exists) and new Storage of up to 30 MWh.
Leadership, a staged roadmap and partnerships are the key ingredients to this project and will ensure our local distributed energy resources can help deliver a more consumer centric marketplace, reduce power bills for business, industry and the community and reduce carbon emissions. Please see the BEN Project Video HERE and feel free to share it with any in your own network who may be interested.
We thank Committee for Ballarat Executive Member AusNet/Mondo for their pro-bono investment and crucial work that has bought this project to life.
2024 has also seen us deliver the 19th chapter of our flagship Community Leadership program, Future Shapers. In a year that has seen the program stand alone, without any Government funding, we are grateful to our member organisations who funded a participant and our donors and supporters who ensured our scholarships could provide opportunities for others.
Our member event held in late November saw us showcase the work of our 2024 Future Shapers cohort, with a focus on their diverse and impactful community projects. 2025 will be the 20th consecutive year for Committee for Ballarat’s Community Leadership program and will again contribute to building our region’s leadership capability and capacity.
For our Corporate Gold and Executive Members, we included an additional string to our leadership bow, with a program called Our Region’s Next CEOs. The program will continue into 2025 and is designed to provide high-performing leaders with a tailored learning and development opportunity, whilst engaging with some of our most successful regional leaders across a variety of sectors. Thanks to Garry Trotter (Our Leader’s Impact) for his work with this program.
Sadly, the early months of 2024 were marred by the deaths of three Ballarat women. Samantha Murphy, Rebecca Young and Hannah McGuire all tragically lost their lives, allegedly at the hands of men. Violence against women and girls must stop and the problem is with men who hurt and kill women and girls. Leadership matters and Committee for Ballarat along with many of our members and other stakeholder groups, have led the call in our community that Enough is Enough. In particular, we have seen male leaders stand up in their workplaces and beyond, to amplify and role model positive masculinity as one pathway to change. We all have a role to play to ensure all in our community feel safe and this starts with communities of respect and equality. We commend Women’s Health Grampians for their work leading the CoRE alliance.
Our Round Table Dinners have again attracted wonderful speakers in 2024 and both sit very comfortably on our extraordinary RTD Honour Roll.
Dr. Julia Baird’s reference to Awe and Grace, challenged us to consider what is possible when we put humanity, forgiveness, kindness, and openness at the forefront of our interactions with each other.
The Honourable Julie Bishop will go down as one of our most compelling RTD speakers, with reflections on the leadership of Barack Obama, Boris Johnson and many others. Among the notoriety though was perhaps the most simple of leadership messages, “it all comes down to Us!”.
Finally, on behalf of the Committee for Ballarat Board and its Executive Staff, I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas and enjoy this special time of year with family and friends. We look forward to seeing you in 2025.