Who can we help
We can help community members who have concerns or questions about proposed or operating energy infrastructure projects in their area. This includes wind farms, large-scale solar farms (5 MW or more), energy storage facilities like big batteries (1 MW or more), and major new transmission projects.
We can help if you’re a resident living near or hosting one of these projects or representing a group of residents concerned about a project.
What we do
Our role is to help resolve concerns and complaints. We work actively with community, listening to concerns, gathering information, and working with project developers and relevant authorities to find workable solutions.
We are also an independent and trusted source of credible information.
We do not have powers to stop projects and we do not replicate or override the role of approval authorities. But we can help you to address concerns and understand processes and how you can have your say in them.
Before you contact us
It's usually best if you first try to resolve your concern(s) directly with the project developer or operator first. If you're having trouble contacting them, or if you're not satisfied with their response, we can help.
If you are already involved in a formal process like a legal case or a review by a state government ombudsman, we may not be able to take on your complaint. Please contact us to discuss before lodging a formal complaint with us.
How to lodge a complaint
Complaints should be in writing, including the following information or using the complaints form. If you would like to discuss your complaint first please call us on 1800 656 395. You can email your complaint to aeic@aeic.gov.au or post it to PO Box 24434 Melbourne Vic 3001.
To help us understand and process your complaint, please include:
- Your name and home address.
- Contact details (phone and email). Include any information about your preferred contact method or times.
- Name and location of the project or facility.
- Approximate distance from your home to the nearest infrastructure.
- A clear description of your complaint:
- What are the issue(s) of concern to you.
- Details of previous attempts to resolve the matter.
- What outcome(s) you're hoping to achieve.
- Any other relevant information.
- Permission for us to discuss your complaint with other parties.
If you are contacting us on behalf of a group, please provide us information about your group and a key contact person.
If you are representing someone else who needs support, please contact us to discuss permission requirements.
What happens next
We will acknowledge your complaint and explain the next steps. We may contact you for more information. We may also seek information from the project proponent or a government agency. In some cases, we may make our own enquiries or provide you with relevant information we already hold.
We will keep you updated as we assess your complaint. You can also send us more information or updates at any time.
We will close your complaint once we have completed the actions you requested or reached the limit of the assistance we can provide.
We manage complaints under our Complaints handling policy and Information handling policy.