Innovation Case Study: Jay Smith, Mildura Rural City Council
Jay Smith, Energy and Water Innovation Officer
Powering Mildura’s EV transition, one charge at a time
Over 15 years in local government, Jay has led Mildura’s transition to a low‑carbon future through renewable energy, electric transport and emissions reduction. Combining data, community insight and bold leadership, he has secured millions in funding, driven region‑wide collaboration, and embedded sustainability into council operations — delivering lasting impact locally while influencing innovative practice across Australia.
2026 MAVlab Innovation Awards Finalist:
Innovatio Pro Bono Publico Award: Emerging Leader, supported by JLT Public Sector.
Bold leadership and strategic vision:
Jay’s leadership is driven by a clear, future-focused vision for regional climate transition, underpinned both personal conviction & strategic foresight. A defining moment early in his career, witnessing the impacts of destructive mining practices in the United States, catalysed his shift into sustainability & shaped 15 years of purposeful leadership in local government.
Jay has since led some of the most ambitious energy & transport initiatives in the sector. Playing a key role in the delivery of Charging the Regions, the largest public EV charging network delivered by local government in Australia & the Victorian Energy Collaboration. These initiatives required navigating complex, risk-averse environments, aligning multiple councils, industry partners, & building confidence in emerging technologies.
At a local level, Jay’s Supercharging Mildura Rural City initiative demonstrates his ability to translate vision into action. Jay established policies, planning frameworks & investment pathways guiding EV infrastructure rollout, resulting in 18 fast charging ports across the municipality, with a clear roadmap to meet future demand of 62 by 2030. Jay's work embeds data-driven decision-making & anticipates long-term community & infrastructure needs.
Jay leads by example. Living in a solar-powered, all-electric home, he brings authenticity to his leadership, using storytelling, education & mentoring to build trust and momentum across Council & community. His recognition, including being awarded the 2025 Victorian Local Government Climate Champion Award, & finalist for Cities Power Partnership’s 2023 Climate Awards and LGPro Awards for Excellence 2020 reflects both his influence and consistency.
In the face of uncertainty, Jay challenges the status quo, articulates a compelling vision for a low-carbon future, bringing others with him, demonstrating courageous, strategic leadership that delivers lasting change.
“Jay has been a key player within the organisation, developing innovative approaches to energy conservation & supporting the implementation of substantial change through the use of evidence-based data, reducing both operational costs & greenhouse emissions” - Mark Jenkins–General Manager Healthy Communities, MRCC
Influence and enablement:
Jay enables change by making it possible for others to see where they fit, contribute with confidence and turn ambition into action.
Across Mildura Rural City Council, he has built trust by translating complex sustainability challenges into practical opportunities, helping teams understand how energy efficiency, fleet electrification, renewable energy and water-sensitive urban design can strengthen everyday service delivery.
In doing so, he has broken down silos, created shared ownership and built a culture where innovation feels achievable rather than risky.
His influence extends well beyond Council. Through the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance, Jay has helped bring together councils, industry partners and communities to plan and deliver region-shaping initiatives including Charging the Regions: Regional EV Charging Framework & Municipal Implementation Plans throughout 2025. Working across up to 12 councils, he has aligned diverse stakeholders around a common vision, created practical frameworks others can use, and enabled councils to move faster and with greater confidence in an emerging area of change.
Jay also leads with openness and generosity in the community. Through Your Say consultations, EV Showcase events, school presentations and industry engagement, he has created spaces for learning, dialogue and shared problem-solving. Internally, he has led the development of studies, policies and guidelines for zero-emissions fleet transition, public charging infrastructure and environmentally sustainable design standards, bringing cross-functional groups together so ideas can be tested, improved and embedded.
His current work supporting a nine-council tender to expand public EV charging across central and north-west Victoria reflects the strength of that enablement. Jay does not simply drive projects himself. He builds the partnerships, confidence and practical systems that allow others to grow, contribute and lead change alongside him, leaving behind stronger capability, stronger collaboration and a more resilient culture of innovation.
Jay has helped move sustainability from a specialist function to a core part of Council’s identity & aspirations, including its commitment to become the Solar Capital of Australia & the most EV-friendly municipality in Australia.
Agility, adaptability and growth:
Jay leads with the kind of adaptability contemporary local government demands: grounded in purpose, open to change and willing to keep learning in full view of others.
His own career reflects that growth. After studying accounting, a formative experience witnessing the environmental toll of destructive mining reshaped his direction & set him on a path into sustainability.
Over the past 15 years, he has continued to evolve with the sector, building deep capability in renewable energy, electric transport, emissions reduction & sustainable design as new challenges and opportunities emerged.
What distinguishes Jay is not just what he knows, but how he responds when the path is uncertain.
He has led work in fields where the technology, policy settings & community understanding were still developing, including EV charging infrastructure, zero-emissions fleet transition and regional implementation planning.
Rather than waiting for certainty, he has tested ideas, learned from experience and adjusted direction when needed.
His Fleet Transition Plan, public charging infrastructure policy and sustainable design standards show a leader who turns learning into practical systems that help others move forward with confidence.
Jay also makes growth visible and contagious. Through mentoring and contributing to research, public presentations, community events, school engagement and cross-council collaboration, he shares insights openly and invites others into the learning process.
He creates an environment where reflection, evidence and curiosity are part of everyday practice, helping colleagues and communities feel confident stepping into unfamiliar territory and embracing change.
His leadership is deeply authentic. By living in a solar-powered, all-electric home and drawing on those lived experiences in his work, Jay demonstrates that meaningful change is built through testing, learning and persistence.
He shows others that adaptability is not about having all the answers from the start. It is about having the courage to keep growing and helping others grow with you.
Impact and enduring value:
Jay’s influence is visible not only in what Mildura Rural City Council has delivered, but in what it can now continue delivering long after individual projects are complete. His leadership secured more than $2.5million through Round1 of the Community Energy Upgrades Fund, unlocking Council’s largest emissions reduction project portfolio to date.
Within the first four years of the Towards Zero Emissions Strategy, Jay’s leadership reduced corporate emissions by 26-per-cent and save more than $250,000 in annual operational costs.
Jay has embedded change into Council systems. His Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Policy & Guidelines created a clearer pathway for Charge Point Operators & established a model other councils’ have been able to replicate.
Jay's 2021-22 Fleet Transition Plan laid the groundwork for Council’s light fleet electrification, guiding data-driven & future-focused investment in 14 battery electric vehicles and 16x22kW-AC charging ports across five key sites. These are not one-off achievements. They are practical frameworks that continue to shape decision-making, investment & service delivery.
Just as important is the cultural shift Jay has helped create. Community consultations, annual EV Showcase events & school presentations promoting STEM careers & climate awareness, Jay has made sustainability visible, tangible and shared. Jay has helped move sustainability from a specialist function to a core part of Council’s identity & aspirations, including its commitment to become the Solar Capital of Australia & the most EV-friendly municipality in Australia.
Jay’s contributions have earned him national recognition, including receiving the 2025 Victorian Local Government Climate Champion Award and finalist in 'Cities Power Partnership’s Climate Awards 2023' & 'LGPro Awards for Excellence 2020'.
Jay impact is not just infrastructure & funding outcomes but in the cultural shift ‘embedding sustainability into Council’s identity & operations.
“Jay has advocated for and led many cost-saving & carbon reducing projects, including the LG Power Purchase Agreement, that are backed by data” - Bonnie Pettett, Environmental Sustainability Coordinator, MRCC.