Monash CliComm

📢 CALLING ALL CLIMATE AND ENERGY REPORTERS

What will it take to decarbonise heavy industry?

Join Dr Fiona Simon and Dr Fiona J Beck at our next online rapid response briefing.

You’ll have the opportunity to ask on-the-record or inquisitive questions.

📅 Tuesday 13 October 2026
🕙 2-3pm (AEST)
📍Zoom

Australia has made progress decarbonising the easier parts of the economy like household appliances and cars. But what happens when decarbonisation gets harder?

As ageing industrial equipment reaches the end of its working life, businesses are facing big decisions about what comes next.

Join these experts as they unpack the future of heavy industry in Australia.

➡️ Register online: https://www.monash.edu/mcccrh/climate-communicators/rapid-response-climate-and-energy-briefings/

🌏 Just taking a moment to celebrate the amazing work of our international colleagues!

It's been a busy few months for our teams in Malaysia and Indonesia, bringing researchers, journalists and media organisations together for workshops on climate communication.

Behind every workshop, focus group and interview is a mammoth amount of relationship-building, scheduling across time zones and bringing research findings together.

And amongst all of that the team continues to bring incredible energy and drive to make productive conversations and collaborations happen.

A huge thank you to Dr Linda Hunt, Dr Geetha Maniam, Dr Ooi Wee Liam, Dr Azliyana Azhari, Ami Seivwright and Dessy Rosalina for all your hard work over the past few months 👏

📺🌏 How do you take climate communication approaches that works in one country and make them meaningful for audiences in another?

Last month, Dr Linda Hunt led a workshop with RTM, Malaysia’s national public broadcaster, bringing together 26 editorial staff alongside RTM’s senior management team.

Thanks to Kate Torney, Director of the Constructive Institute Asia Pacific who joined the workshop. Together with Deborah Steele, Dr Azliyana Azhari, Dr Ooi Wee Liam and Dr Geetha Maniam, they explored constructive journalism, communicating during extreme weather, building audience trust and how the MCCH’s Australian climate communication programs could be adapted for Malaysian audiences.

The team continued the conversation through a research workshop with Malaysian journalists, drawing on their experiences and exploring how climate and energy concepts are communicated across different languages, platforms and newsroom environments.

This is the start of a new partnership with RTM, and an important step in building climate communication capacity in Malaysian newsrooms.

👷‍♀️⚡Investing in people for the energy transition

Peter Adams, Holly Perriam and Dr Chris Briggs joined us for our latest rapid response briefing to discuss the workforce needed to deliver Australia’s energy transition.

Key takeaways:

🔧 Australia needs a much larger pipeline of electricians, engineers, construction workers, technicians and manufacturing specialists

🎓 Apprenticeships, micro-credentials and continuing professional development will all be critical to building the workforce

🌏 Regional communities need pathways that create local jobs and training opportunities, rather than short-term construction booms or FIFO workforces

⚡ Workforce development is part of the infrastructure needed to avoid delays, labour shortages and rising project costs

🎥 Watch the recording and RSVP for the next briefing here: https://www.monash.edu/mcch/climate-communicators/rapid-response-climate-and-energy-briefings

Thank you to our panellists and everyone who joined the conversation.

🏠💰🔌 Household energy choices are adding up

New figures show Australia’s emissions dropped 1.6% in the year to March 2026, with the biggest reduction coming from electricity as renewable energy generation reached record levels.

Households are a growing part of that story.

More than four million rooftop solar systems are now installed across Australia and over 265,000 home batteries have been installed this year alone. EV uptake is also growing, with battery electric vehicles accounting for almost 17% of new car sales so far this year.

Together, these technologies are giving households more control over when and how they use electricity, helping to reduce energy and transport costs.

But the shift isn’t happening everywhere at the same pace. Transport and industrial emissions have both increased, and Australia still has work to do to meet its 2030 target.

Australia’s emissions are currently 25% below 2005 levels, leaving another 18% reduction to achieve over the next four years.

Households will continue to be part of the change as more Australians go electric.

If you're wondering where to start, a free tool called Electric Saul can help explore what might work in your home and what rebates and government support you might be eligible for.

🔗 Read the full article here: https://www.monash.edu/mcch/climate-communicators/changing-climates/digital-news/changing-climates-articles/household-energy-choices-are-adding-up

📢 CALLING ALL CLIMATE AND ENERGY REPORTERS

Join Holly Perriam, Dr Chris Briggs and Peter Adams at our next online rapid response briefing.

This time it's all about jobs and you’ll have the opportunity to ask on-the-record or inquisitive questions.

📅 Thursday 17 September 2026
🕙 2-3pm (AEST)
📍Zoom

Australia’s energy transition is creating growing demand for workers – from electricians and engineers to construction workers, technicians and manufacturing specialists.

But as investment flows into renewable energy, transmission, batteries and electrification, will Australia have enough people with the right skills, in the right places, at the right time to deliver it?

Join these experts as they unpack the future of jobs in Australia’s energy transition.

➡️ Register online: https://www.monash.edu/mcccrh/climate-communicators/rapid-response-climate-and-energy-briefings/

🏠🔌Who gets to electrify their home?

Dr Wendy Russell, Kira van Os and A/Prof Nicola Willand joined us for the latest rapid response briefing to discuss household electrification and what it will take to make the transition fairer for renters, apartment residents and lower-income households.

Key takeaways:

⚡ Household electrification is reducing fossil fuel use, but the current system works best for homeowners who can stump up the cash

🏢 Apartments, rentals and social housing need different solutions such as building-level upgrades and tailored support

💰 There’s a need for policies that make electrification accessible and fair

🔋 Community batteries, plug-in solar and better coordination across the energy system could help, but only if safety, standards and equity are built in from the start

🎥 Watch the recording: https://youtu.be/JF7Aci9PMhw
🔗 Join our next briefing: https://www.monash.edu/mcccrh/climate-communicators/rapid-response-climate-and-energy-briefings

Thank you to our panellists and everyone who joined the conversation.
The Australian National University

🏉 What does climate change mean for community footy?

We teamed up with Footy for Climate to understand fans, players, administrators and club members' attitudes towards climate change and willingness to financially support action at the community club level.

A few key findings:

🌡️76% said climate change was a very or extremely important issue, but more than half were unsure whether climate change had affected their own community club.

This suggests there's an opportunity in helping people connect climate change with what they can see and experience at their local footy facilities

💰88% of respondents who had observed climate impacts at their club indicated willingness to financially contribute to climate action

☀️Support for practical club initiatives was high. This included actions such as installing solar panels, batteries and drinking fountains

This pilot study provides an important evidence base for understanding how communities engage with climate change through local football. Its findings suggest that community footy could be a valuable and increasingly important setting for climate engagement, adaptation and practical action.

The research also points to a broader opportunity for climate communication: helping people connect a global challenge with the places, communities and experiences already familiar to them.

For millions of Australians, the local footy club could be one of those places.

👉 Read the full report: https://www.monash.edu/mcccrh/publications/reports/community-football-in-a-changing-climate

🌏🎓 What could journalism education look like in the Pacific – a region at the forefront of our changing climate?

Last month, Hub Director Prof Libby Lester visited Tonga National University to help shape the next chapter of media and journalism education in Tonga.

Libby is working with the School of Media and Journalism to review its existing Certificate and Diploma programs and map out a proposed Bachelor of Arts degree in Pacific Media and Journalism, with a strong focus on climate change.

During the visit, Libby met with university leaders, government representatives, the Media Association of Tonga, working journalists, alumni and students to understand what the new program needs to deliver for Tonga and the wider Pacific.

For communities already experiencing the impacts of climate change, journalists play a vital role in connecting science, policy and lived experience.

Building climate communication into journalism education is an exciting step towards strengthening that role across the Pacific. 🌊

A sincere thank you to:

🔹 Directors of the Tonga Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications

🔹 Vice Chancellor, Dr Guilio Masasso Paunga, and the head of the School of Media and Journalism, Ms Nanise Fifita

🔹 Alumni of the Diploma course and working journalists.

👋🌏 There are a few fresh faces at the Hub

We’re so excited to have our latest intern crew officially on board, bringing new ideas and enthusiasm to our climate communication work.

We look forward to getting stuck into some projects together!