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Relationships

Building strong stakeholder relationships

Open and respectful relationships with our stakeholders are vital, especially during this period of significant transformation for the energy industry.

Supporting communities and maintaining strong partnerships

AGL is committed to making a positive social, economic and environmental contribution to the communities in which we operate.

It’s important to us that we build trust with our stakeholders by engaging openly with them on relevant issues and by having them recognise we consider their views in our decision-making.

Many parts of the community are interested in the decisions we make, while others play a role in influencing the frameworks through which we make our decisions. These include local communities, Traditional Custodians, First Nations organisations, governments, regulators, the energy industry and industry associations, non-government organisations and advocacy groups, suppliers, project partners, and lenders and investors.

Engaged and supported communities

We invest in the communities in which we operate through a structured program of community investment.

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Local community engagement

We have ongoing engagement with the communities in which we operate through well-established forums such as Community Consultative Committees (CCCs) and Community Dialogue Groups (CDGs). For proposed new projects, we develop a tailored and comprehensive community engagement strategy to deliver meaningful and continual engagement with local community stakeholders and Traditional Custodians in the proposed project location.

 

Throughout the year we offer grants to organisations who are making a real difference across South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.

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First Nations empowerment

Cultivating respectful, trusted and meaningful connections with the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we operate is critical to our success, and we’re focused on improving both the way we work with Traditional Custodians and how we protect the cultural heritage values of these lands.

 

Our Reconciliation Action Plan commits to supporting First Nations education programs including partnerships with Clontarf and Stars Foundations, Waiwa Mudena and the Jungarra Wannik tertiary education scholarships.

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Programs and partnerships

We partner with organisations who support causes and initiatives that align with the areas that matter to us and the communities in which we operate. Our community investment is aligned with our energy portfolio transition focusing on four key areas: community resilience, climate action, First Nations empowerment and energy literacy and affordability.

 

Through AGL's Powering our Community program we provide funding to our community partners to help them to decarbonise. Our Power to Give Program also gives our employees the opportunity to get behind the causes they’re passionate about, through payroll giving, volunteering and fundraising.

Our commitment to the community

AGL will engage with the community stakeholders of its existing operating assets and those of future proposed projects with the aim of understanding the communities’ expectations and aspirations for creating positive long-lasting social, economic and environmental impact.

Throughout the life of our projects and operations AGL will:

  • Embrace the uniqueness of our communities. We will approach each project and stakeholder interaction as a unique undertaking.
  • Be proactive. We will engage with our communities early and often, so that we understand and respond to their interests and concerns.
  • Be flexible and inclusive. We will offer a range of engagement opportunities that are tailored to the variety of needs and preferences of the communities in which we operate.
  • Be transparent. We will act honestly and ethically in all our dealings with the communities in which we operate.
  • Be responsive: We will respect community input and ensure that community feedback is taken into consideration and responded to appropriately.
  • Act as a good neighbour. We will establish long-term relationships and earn the trust of local communities we operate in to become an integral part of them.

Engagement with Traditional Custodians and First Nations Communities

AGL acknowledges the importance of the relationship between First Nations peoples and their lands where we operate. Our engagement with First Nations communities will uphold the core principles of self-determination, respect for and protection of culture, and Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) recognised in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

AGL will engage proactively with Traditional Custodian groups and First Nations’ communities to develop relationships, based on cultural respect and collaboration with the aim of creating sustainable opportunities for employment, economic participation and care for country.

See our Community Engagement Policy that guides our engagement for more information (PDF) See our Community Engagement Policy that guides our engagement for more information. , opens in a new window

Responsible lobbying and stakeholder engagement

Active engagement and collaboration between industry, government and the community are critical for achieving a successful transition to a lower carbon future. 

AGL is committed to conducting all its direct and indirect policy engagement activities in a responsible, consistent and transparent manner, encompassing environmental, social and governance considerations. This applies across all AGL’s subsidiaries and operational jurisdictions[1]. 

Our policy engagement and lobbying activities include, but are not limited to: submissions to government and regulatory body consultations, meetings with government and peak industry body officials, engagement with industry associations, and media publications and interviews.   

AGL advocates for a responsible transition that balances energy reliability and affordability with the need to decarbonise. We support the objectives of the Paris Agreement and continue to seek to advocate for Paris-aligned policy action through all direct and indirect policy engagement and lobbying.

  • For more information on our industry association membership fees and review of our Industry Associations memberships, please visit the ESG Data Centre
  • For information on AGL’s positions on climate-related policy, see our public policy submissions and visit the ESG Data Centre
  • AGL’s approach to joining and maintaining memberships of Industry Association is outlined in our Industry Association Membership Policy (PDF)
  • AGL’s ambitions, commitments and targets related to decarbonisation are outlined in its latest Climate Transition Action Plan (CTAP)
Damien Nicks and the executive team meeting with the local member for the Hunter region. Hunter community discussion

We will

  • Publish submissions made to official government processes on our website (excluding those containing commercially sensitive information)
  • Monitor the policy positions and public advocacy in relation to climate change of industry associations of which we are a member, and will annually disclose memberships, membership fees, and areas where AGL's position on climate change differs materially from the associations of which we are a member, in accordance with our Industry Association Membership Policy.
  • Provide a summary of AGL's position on climate-related policies along with examples of where we have advocated for these.
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We won't

  • Undertake any lobbying that is inconsistent with disclosed advocacy positions.
  • Make any monetary or in-kind political donations to political parties, either directly or through third parties, in accordance with our Political Donations PolicyProvide a summary of AGL's position on climate-related policies along with examples of where we have advocated for these.
  • Provide funding or support to organisations or groups that spread climate misinformation and/or actively lobby against climate action.

Strong business relationships

Our relationships with suppliers, project partners and financial institutions remain foundational to our ability to deliver on Australia’s energy transition.

Shared values and commitments

Our Supplier Code of Conduct governs our procurement practices with a key focus on engaging with suppliers that share similar values and commitments as AGL, while also supporting our suppliers to manage the environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts of the goods and services they supply to us.

Responsible procurement

AGL’s Procurement Policy has an underlying principle of responsible procurement which is aimed at strengthening our engagement with diverse suppliers including First Nations owned businesses, small and local businesses, and social enterprises within the communities in which we operate. We’ve partnered with multiple social industry organisations to further our engagement in these sectors.

Upholding and respecting human rights

As outlined in AGL’s Human Rights Policy, we’re committed to upholding and respecting the human rights of our employees, customers and the communities in which we operate and that are affected by our operations. As part of delivering on this commitment, on an annual basis we assess the modern slavery risks across our operations and supply chain to inform the steps that need to be taken to manage the risk.

Our stories

Helping our community partners to decarbonise  

Through the ‘Powering our Community’ program we provide funding to our community partners, including OzHarvest, Hunter Valley Aboriginal Corporation and Aussie Ark, to help them to decarbonise through the provision of solar generation capacity.

We've been supporting the delivery of a network of community-owned EV charging infrastructure and the provision of community education about electrification, through our ongoing partnership with Gippsland Climate Change Network (GCCN).

Relationship data and reporting

Our ESG Data Centre includes data on how we’re supporting communities, maintaining strong partnerships and more.

ESG Data Centre

Our relationship policies