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WG3: Social licence

Objectives

1. Lead and design industry undertakings to guide the development of Australia’s hydrogen industry.

2. Support government work to develop a community education program to provide clear and accessible information about risks, benefits and safe use.

3. Support government work to consider the role of hydrogen in supporting Australian energy security by 2025.

Chair

Fiona Simon, AHC: [email protected]

Update

Last year was busy for Secretariat work, with the working group itself not meeting because there was a government group created of the same people.

Work led by AHC included a strategic communications framework, the development of the content for HyFAQ, and three webinars on key SLO matters.

We have an undertaking but it needs to be turned into something more solid. We are working with the CEC on this.

We are also working with water industry peak bodies on water issues and management. 

Work in 2023

1. Land issues and management

2. Water issues and management

3. Public communications on key issues

General communications

The primary focus of WG3 to date was the industry undertaking; this undertaking was an explicit requirement of the AHC through the National Hydrogen Strategy. AHC asked to partner with DISER and the jurisdictions on this work. 

See here for the report to the NHS Communications and Engagement Sub-Working Group, and here for a subsequent slide pack presented the community of best practice, WG3 members and other stakeholders.

Based on original work to develop FAQs and factsheet content, AHC developed and lead the public communications content for the NHS.

A compendium of draft questions and answers was out for consultation until 14 May 2022 – see 220408 Hydrogen Qs compendium confidential v1.

The final version (HyFAQ) was uploaded to CSIRO’s HyLearning site in December 2022.

Undertaking

To meet our obligation under the 2019 National Hydrogen Strategy to develop an industry undertaking, AHC worked with WG3 to develop principles for working in communities. AHC consulted on principles and associated guidance over several months.
We have finalised the principles but have decided to put the guidance note on hold. We have developed several drafts to date but experts have advised that the risk of putting another guidance note out into an already crowded, dynamic and politically challenging environment outweighs the benefit. AHC will periodically review this decision. This is also a topic for the webinar on working with communities (see below).

Webinars

AHC ran three webinars about issues relating to social licence in late 2022.
Meetings

210819 WG3 Social licence 10

210706 WG3 Social licence 9
210413 WG3 Social licence 8

210302 WG3 Social licence 7 (presentation from Tas Govt)

210202 WG3 Social licence 6

200824 WG3 Social licence 4 v1

200824 WG3 Social licence 4 – Draft AHC Principles Feedback 2020

200721 WG3 Social licence 3
200721 WG3 Notes from social licence meeting 2
200603 WG3 Social licence 2 – survey outcomes
200323 WG3 Social licence 1
Library

July 21 – Report by Carol Bond on international communications precedents on hydrogen – Communications about H2 CBOND AHC 2021 (without appendices) and here for Dropbox link with appendices.

Sep-Oct 20 – Draft principles paper for consultation; Guidance note for the draft SLO principles – out for consultation 27 Oct 2020

200730 WG3 Principles v1 – draft
RP2 1 01 Lessons Learned Final Report
Vic DELWP 2017 Community Engagement and Benefit Sharing in Renewable Energy Development
CEC guide to benefit sharing options for renewable energy projects
Origin Strategic Community Engagement Framework Hydrogen
BRC Social Licence Guide Launch BRC A Buying Power 4
UQ NHS Oct19 Developing community trust in hydrogen report
GHD response to Issues Paper 5
CEC best practice charter governance arrangements
CEC best practice charter
ARENA UQ Dec18 the Australian public’s perception of hydrogen for energy