Ms Gillian Baker:

I might respond on the RESS. Each renewable energy community project that competes in the RESS auction community must be a sustainable energy community. We have seen different levels of expertise in each of those communities and we have responded to their requirements. Some have requested more support from us than others. There was also the policy change from RESS 1 to RESS 2 where in RESS 1 communities were able to partner with a developer and they would have provided much of the driving force and expertise along with the balance sheets. RESS 2 makes a welcome policy change to be 100% community owned so they reap all the benefits, but it presents challenges.

We have been developing the community-enabling framework to respond to those increased needs. We have our trusted advisers to guide them along every step of the development process, including assisting with feasibility assessments. We also have a robust suite of grants available to communities. These were just launched earlier this year and so the real benefits will be seen for subsequent projects that move into RESS 3 and RESS 4.