Leading energy infrastructure company, Jemena, is proud to announce the recipients of our 2025 Community Grants Program – First Nations Stream, supporting Indigenous-led initiatives that deliver meaningful social impact in communities where we operate.&nbsp;

Seven organisations across New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory will each receive $10,000 to deliver programs supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the areas of education, training and employment.&nbsp;

“These grants reflect our deep commitment to reconciliation and to walking alongside First Nations communities in creating lasting, positive change,” said Craig Ypinazar, Executive General Manager, People, Safety and Governance, and Chair of Jemena’s Reconciliation Action Plan Steering Committee.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Each of these projects demonstrate the power of community-led solutions and the importance of cultural connection and education.”&nbsp;

Warumungu Country – Tennant Creek, NT&nbsp;

World Literacy Foundation&nbsp;Literacy workshops for 85 Indigenous young people, in partnership with the local AFL club. Includes resources in Indigenous languages and mobile literacy tools.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Kalkadoon Country – Mount Isa, Qld&nbsp;

Campfire Healing Indigenous Corporation&nbsp;Business and leadership training for Indigenous-led social enterprises. Our grant helps support logistics and venue hire for sessions.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Dharawal and Darkinjung Countries – Wollongong and Central Coast, NSW&nbsp;

Westbourne Cares Indigenous Corporation&nbsp;Intensive preparation and cultural mentoring for young Indigenous adults seeking to enter the workforce. Our grant will support 8-10 young people.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Worimi Country – Port Stephens, NSW&nbsp;

Jupiter – Space to Talk&nbsp;Our grant will help deliver 60 mental wellbeing consultations for Indigenous youth aged 12–25, delivered by culturally safe counsellors. It is intended to support keeping young people in education and/or able to maintain employment.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Gadigal Country of the Eora Nation – Redfern, NSW&nbsp;

Redfern Jarjum College&nbsp;“Strong in Culture, Strong in Self” program offering cultural identity sessions, arts workshops, and excursions to 26 students and more than 50 family members.&nbsp;&nbsp;

National Centre of Indigenous Excellence&nbsp;Professional development for facilitators of the “Young, Fit and Deadly” program, which supports more than 100 young Indigenous participants.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Wiradjuri Country – Dubbo, Wellington and Parkes, NSW&nbsp;

EM-Power Foundation&nbsp;Native foods education program for 90 Aboriginal high school students across four schools, connecting cultural tradition with career pathways.&nbsp;

Jemena thanks all applicants and looks forward to continuing its support for First Nations communities.&nbsp;&nbsp;

For more information on the Jemena Community Grants Program, and our second stream of grants focusing on community wellbeing and addressing disadvantage, opening soon, visit <a href="http://www.jemena.com.au/communitygrants" target="_blank">www.jemena.com.au/communitygrants</a>.&nbsp;

Leading energy infrastructure company, Jemena, is proud to announce the recipients of our 2025 Community Grants Program – First Nations Stream, supporting Indigenous-led initiatives that deliver meaningful social impact in communities where we operate.&nbsp;Seven organisations across New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory will each receive $10,000 to deliver programs supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the areas of education, training and employment.&nbsp;“These grants reflect our deep commitment to reconciliation and to walking alongside First Nations communities in creating lasting, positive change,” said Craig Ypinazar, Executive General Manager, People, Safety and Governance, and Chair of Jemena’s Reconciliation Action Plan Steering Committee.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Each of these projects demonstrate the power of community-led solutions and the importance of cultural connection and education.”&nbsp;Warumungu Country – Tennant Creek, NT&nbsp;World Literacy Foundation&nbsp;Literacy workshops for 85 Indigenous young people, in partnership with the local AFL club. Includes resources in Indigenous languages and mobile literacy tools.&nbsp;&nbsp;Kalkadoon Country – Mount Isa, Qld&nbsp;Campfire Healing Indigenous Corporation&nbsp;Business and leadership training for Indigenous-led social enterprises. Our grant helps support logistics and venue hire for sessions.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dharawal and Darkinjung Countries – Wollongong and Central Coast, NSW&nbsp;Westbourne Cares Indigenous Corporation&nbsp;Intensive preparation and cultural mentoring for young Indigenous adults seeking to enter the workforce. Our grant will support 8-10 young people.&nbsp;&nbsp;Worimi Country – Port Stephens, NSW&nbsp;Jupiter – Space to Talk&nbsp;Our grant will help deliver 60 mental wellbeing consultations for Indigenous youth aged 12–25, delivered by culturally safe counsellors. It is intended to support keeping young people in education and/or able to maintain employment.&nbsp;&nbsp;Gadigal Country of the Eora Nation – Redfern, NSW&nbsp;Redfern Jarjum College&nbsp;“Strong in Culture, Strong in Self” program offering cultural identity sessions, arts workshops, and excursions to 26 students and more than 50 family members.&nbsp;&nbsp;National Centre of Indigenous Excellence&nbsp;Professional development for facilitators of the “Young, Fit and Deadly” program, which supports more than 100 young Indigenous participants.&nbsp;&nbsp;Wiradjuri Country – Dubbo, Wellington and Parkes, NSW&nbsp;EM-Power Foundation&nbsp;Native foods education program for 90 Aboriginal high school students across four schools, connecting cultural tradition with career pathways.&nbsp;Jemena thanks all applicants and looks forward to continuing its support for First Nations communities.&nbsp;&nbsp;For more information on the Jemena Community Grants Program, and our second stream of grants focusing on community wellbeing and addressing disadvantage, opening soon, visit <a href="http://www.jemena.com.au/communitygrants" target="_blank">www.jemena.com.au/communitygrants</a>.&nbsp;

Electricity / Gas / Resources / Energy

Jemena Announces Recipients of 2025 First Nations Community Grants Program

- Jemena proposes to deliver significant electricity bill savings to customers over the five-year period beginning 1 July 2026.

- A typical residential customer’s average annual bill will be $156 lower by the end of the next period compared to an annual bill in 2025-26.

- Jemena’s proposal is informed by nearly 300 hours of customer engagement over a two-year period.

- Jemena’s customers provided 16 recommendations which form the basis of the proposal.

Energy infrastructure company, Jemena, has submitted its 2026-31 Proposal for its electricity network to the Australian Energy Regulator (AER).

The proposal outlines Jemena’s service delivery and prices for its electricity network – which services more than 380,000 customers across north-west Melbourne – for the financial years covering 2026-31, and the role it will play in Australia’s energy transition.

Jemena’s Executive General Manager of Networks Shaun Reardon said, if endorsed by the Australian Energy Regulator, a typical residential customer’s annual bill will be $156 lower by the end of the next period compared to an annual bill in 2025-26.

“This price reduction is enabled by an increase in electricity consumption across our network, driven by data centres and major connections, and increased utilisation by existing customers as they increasingly use electricity to heat their homes and cook their meals,” said Mr Reardon.

“To develop this proposal we engaged with thousands of customers across multiple channels which included visitors to our GridTalk website, sessions facilitated in-person including our People’s Panel and virtual engagement. We held 80 engagement events and spent nearly 300 hours with customers over the past two years.

“This proposal reflects the needs of our customers and communities today, while also preparing our electricity network for a more sustainable energy future.

“Many of our customers told us that energy affordability and cost-of-living continue to be their top priority. Our customers also said that maintaining the reliability of the electricity network and increasing resilience to withstand and recover from extreme weather events were important priorities.

“Throughout our engagement process we sought feedback from a diverse range of residential, large commercial, industrial, small, and medium-sized business customers.”

The 2026-31 Proposal&nbsp;outlines the following actions shaped by our customers:

A typical residential customer’s average annual bill will be $156 lower by the end of the next period compared to an annual bill in 2025-26.

Connect over 33,300 new residential customers and 2,585 businesses in north-west Melbourne.Introduce new tariff structures that encourage better network utilisation and improve price equity between solar and non-solar customers.Introduce new digital technologies to improve electricity system management and enable new sustainable products and services.Deliver a broad-based zone-substation redevelopment program to maintain current reliability levels.Build large-scale assets to serve new large customers such as data centres and hospitals.

Upgrade systems to keep customers better informed with near real-time information at times they need it the most.Develop a new portal to provide tailored information based on customer preferences and language needs with energy information.

The AER will now review and assess Jemena’s 2026-31 Proposal and provide a draft decision later this year. Jemena will then submit a revised proposal with the AER’s final decision taking effect from 1 July 2026.&nbsp;

To view the initial 2026-31 Proposal visit:&nbsp;<a href="https://gridtalk.com.au/2026-2031-proposal" target="_blank">https://gridtalk.com.au/2026-2031-proposal</a>

- Jemena proposes to deliver significant electricity bill savings to customers over the five-year period beginning 1 July 2026.- A typical residential customer’s average annual bill will be $156 lower by the end of the next period compared to an annual bill in 2025-26.- Jemena’s proposal is informed by nearly 300 hours of customer engagement over a two-year period.- Jemena’s customers provided 16 recommendations which form the basis of the proposal.Energy infrastructure company, Jemena, has submitted its 2026-31 Proposal for its electricity network to the Australian Energy Regulator (AER).The proposal outlines Jemena’s service delivery and prices for its electricity network – which services more than 380,000 customers across north-west Melbourne – for the financial years covering 2026-31, and the role it will play in Australia’s energy transition.Jemena’s Executive General Manager of Networks Shaun Reardon said, if endorsed by the Australian Energy Regulator, a typical residential customer’s annual bill will be $156 lower by the end of the next period compared to an annual bill in 2025-26.“This price reduction is enabled by an increase in electricity consumption across our network, driven by data centres and major connections, and increased utilisation by existing customers as they increasingly use electricity to heat their homes and cook their meals,” said Mr Reardon.“To develop this proposal we engaged with thousands of customers across multiple channels which included visitors to our GridTalk website, sessions facilitated in-person including our People’s Panel and virtual engagement. We held 80 engagement events and spent nearly 300 hours with customers over the past two years.“This proposal reflects the needs of our customers and communities today, while also preparing our electricity network for a more sustainable energy future.“Many of our customers told us that energy affordability and cost-of-living continue to be their top priority. Our customers also said that maintaining the reliability of the electricity network and increasing resilience to withstand and recover from extreme weather events were important priorities.“Throughout our engagement process we sought feedback from a diverse range of residential, large commercial, industrial, small, and medium-sized business customers.”The 2026-31 Proposal&nbsp;outlines the following actions shaped by our customers:Affordability:A typical residential customer’s average annual bill will be $156 lower by the end of the next period compared to an annual bill in 2025-26.Preparing for the future:Connect over 33,300 new residential customers and 2,585 businesses in north-west Melbourne.Introduce new tariff structures that encourage better network utilisation and improve price equity between solar and non-solar customers.Introduce new digital technologies to improve electricity system management and enable new sustainable products and services.Deliver a broad-based zone-substation redevelopment program to maintain current reliability levels.Build large-scale assets to serve new large customers such as data centres and hospitals.Keeping our customers informed:Upgrade systems to keep customers better informed with near real-time information at times they need it the most.Develop a new portal to provide tailored information based on customer preferences and language needs with energy information.The AER will now review and assess Jemena’s 2026-31 Proposal and provide a draft decision later this year. Jemena will then submit a revised proposal with the AER’s final decision taking effect from 1 July 2026.&nbsp;To view the initial 2026-31 Proposal visit:&nbsp;<a href="https://gridtalk.com.au/2026-2031-proposal" target="_blank">https://gridtalk.com.au/2026-2031-proposal</a>