Carmel Franklin has joined the Board of Energy Consumers Australia (ECA), the independent, national voice for residential and small business energy consumers.
Ms Franklin has been a dedicated champion of consumer rights, including serving as CEO of ACT-based Care for 15 years. She was Chair of Financial Counselling Australia for 12 years and was also a former member of ASIC’s Consumer Advisory Panel. She will replace Virginia Hickey, who has been an ECA Board director for 8 years.
“With her passionate commitment to fairness and social justice and deep knowledge of consumer law and advocacy, Carmel will be a great asset to ECA at this critical stage of the energy transition,” Dr Brendan French, CEO of ECA, said. “I’m looking forward to working with Carmel to further the interests of all energy consumers in Australia.
“I’d also like to thank Virginia Hickey, who has been a lynchpin of the ECA Board since soon after the organisation was founded. Her governance expertise and steady hand has been greatly appreciated by everyone and, on behalf of the Board and the team at ECA, we wish her well and thank her for her years of service to consumers.”
“Energy Consumers Australia are continuing to help more households and small businesses access clean, reliable and affordable energy,” said Ms Franklin, who started her role on 1 August 2024. “I’m delighted to serve as an ECA Board member and looking forward to helping ensure more consumers have their values, expectations and needs met through a modern, flexible and resilient energy system.”
Energy Consumers Australia represents the country’s 11 million household and 2.5 million small business energy consumers.
More about Carmel Franklin
Carmel Franklin has been the CEO of Care for 15 years. Care provides information, advice, support and advocacy for people experiencing financial stress. It also operates financial counselling, consumer law, community education and community loans programs.
Her extensive Board experience includes 12 years as Chair of Financial Counselling Australia from 2009 to 2021 and with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority Board from its inception in 2018 until December 2023. Ms Franklin also served as Consumer Director on the Board of the Financial Ombudsman Service and as a member of the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission.
Ms Franklin is currently a member of the External Advisory Committee with the Australian Financial Security Association and the ACT Registration Standards Advisory Board.
Media contact: Stuart Turner – 0415 403 208
About Energy Consumers Australia
Energy Consumers Australia is the independent, national voice for residential and small business energy consumers. We enable residential and small business energy consumers to have their voices heard.