Join us at the 2026 Dr Hugh Saddler Memorial Lecture, featuring former ACT Minister, Greens Leader, and long‑serving parliamentarian Shane Rattenbury. This special evening will be a reflection on how the ACT turned climate ambition into action, and what its experience reveals about democracy, power, and people‑driven change.

The ACT has gone from setting bold emissions targets on paper to delivering real‑world cuts and a world‑leading renewable electricity system, becoming a national and international reference point for climate leadership. As a minister, legislator and Green leader at the heart of this story, Shane helped negotiate and implement many of the reforms that shifted the Territory’s energy system and reshaped its politics.

In this lecture, Shane will explore the driving forces behind the ACT’s climate transformation, including what it took to become the first Australian jurisdiction to achieve a transition from a fossil fuel-based supply to 100% renewable electricity. He will discuss how power‑sharing, combined with a clear community mandate, made ambitious policy both possible and durable, and why the ACT should be seen as a case study in governing the transition from ambition to action. He will also offer a timely reflection on his parliamentary career and consider what lessons the ACT’s journey holds for parliaments, parties, and movements across Australia as they confront the next era of climate decisions.

The address will be followed by a Q&A, facilitated by Dr Richard Denniss, co-Chief Executive Officer at The Australia Institute.

The Dr Hugh Saddler Memorial Lecture is an address in honour of energy transition expert and founding director of the Australia Institute, the late Dr Hugh Saddler (1943–2023). Dr Saddler profoundly influenced a generation of researchers and policymakers, and his expertise helped lay the groundwork for Australia’s renewable energy transition.

Contact the host of Dr Hugh Saddler Memorial Lecture 2026 | Shane Rattenbury

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