Who was Gill Owen?
Dr Gill Owen was an inaugural Director of the Energy Consumers Australia Board. Gill was a respected policy advocate, who brought her considerable expertise and insights to energy consumer issues in both Australia and the UK.
Reflecting her international experience, Gill provided a unique perspective on Australian policy and program development, supported by her enduring commitment to social justice and better consumer outcomes. Her contribution saw improvements to the Australian regulatory framework, including in the creation of the Australian Energy Regulator's Consumer Challenge Panel. She was a guiding voice in the establishment of Energy Consumers Australia, and our early days as an organisation.
Dr Owen passed away in 2016. This scholarship, in partnership with her husband David Green, was created in Gill’s honour.
About the Scholarship
Energy Consumers Australia values the ongoing exchange of ideas and experiences that the late Gill Owen championed. This scholarship supports research into international innovations, policies, and programs that can improve outcomes for Australian energy consumers in a rapidly evolving energy market.
Applications are invited for a grant of up to $15,000 to undertake overseas research that explores approaches relevant to Australian’s energy transition.
How to apply
Applications for the 2026 Gill Owen Scholarship program open on 8 September 2025 and close on 19 October 2025. The winner will be announced at Energy Consumers Australia’s Foresighting Forum on 4-6 March 2026.
Apply for the 2026 scholarship
Activities supported through the Scholarship
The Gill Owen scholar will engage with leading thinkers internationally and report on new insights that can be applied to challenges faced by small energy consumers in Australia.
Typical activities may include:
- Visiting to one or more countries to learn from energy consumer activities and experiences.
- Meetings with relevant individuals and organisations in the selected country.
- Participating in speaking engagements at conferences or similar events.
Based on the location, Energy Consumers Australia may suggest potential contacts from its network and can provide a letter of introduction to support these engagements.
Successful applicants must undertake the following activities upon returning to Australia:
- Written summary outlining key learnings from the visit and their relevance to the Australian energy context.
- A webinar to communicate the learnings from the project, with a focus on how these insights can benefit Australian energy consumers.
- Meetings with consumer groups, industry representatives, and/or government officials to promote the learnings.
Who can apply
- Australian citizens or permanent residents aged 18 years or older.
- Hold an Australian Business Number (ABN) or be affiliated with an organisation or company that can receive grant payments directly.
Previous Recipients
The recipient of the 2025 Gill Owen Scholarship is Glen Currie. Glen travelled to California to research the complex transition from gas to electricity, with a focus on decommissioning gas distribution pipelines. Glen's report, which you can read here (PDF, 4.39MB), outlines insights gathered as part of the trip, which will be used to engage with Australian industry and decision-makers, helping ensure a smooth transition for consumers.
Madison Sturgess has been awarded the 2024 Gill Owen Scholarship. Madison is the Clean Energy Project Lead at Original Power. As the Gill Owen Scholar, she will head to the UK to investigate community energy initiatives, which she aims to apply to First Nations and regional communities in Australia. We’re excited to share Madison's research!
As the Gill Owen Scholarship was not awarded in 2021 and 2022 due to the international travel restrictions associated with COVID, two scholarships were awarded for 2023.
Our first recipient was Rob McLeod from Renew. Rob researched the Spanish response to heatwaves to enable Australia to strengthen its own response (read the report here). And our second recipient was Liz Fletcher, who travelled to Europe to better understand how we can improve our energy regulatory frameworks to become more consumer-centric (read the report here (PDF, 6.45MB)).
Joel Dignam was awarded the 2020 Gill Owen Scholarship by Energy Consumers Australia.
Joel is the Chief Executive Officer of Better Renting. He is an active and influential advocate for tenants, including calling for minimum energy performance standards in rental properties to help tenants live in healthy and affordable homes.
Joel's research explores approaches to managing energy transitions in the United States, with a focus on California. The research will inform the research and policy agenda in the ACT, as well as other Australian States and Territories.
The full announcement can be read here.
Energy Consumers Australia is very pleased to publish the report (PDF, 628.84KB) of 2019 Gill Owen Scholar, Ash Salardini.
Ash is the first Gill Owen Scholar and his report, Maximising outcomes from retail electricity markets (PDF, 628.84KB), raises interesting and challenging recommendations for the retail electricity market in Australia. Based on extensive interviews with experts, regulators and advocates in the United Kingdom and Texas, as well as in Australia, his recommendations include:
- introducing a better definition of consumer outcome in the NEM, along with new metrics to ensure the market is delivering good outcomes for consumers
- a stronger focus on innovation in the retail electricity market
- new approaches to energy hardship, and
- new market arrangements for rural and regional consumers.
The Gill Owen Essay Prize for 2020 has been awarded by the Institute for Sustainable Futures at UTS. Information about the 2020 winner and the Prize can be found here.
