Jumeka Saunders has been awarded the Kelvin Trimper Consumer Advocacy Scholarship for 2026.

Jumeka is from Nipapanha in the northern Flinders Ranges of South Australia, around 600 kilometres north of Adelaide.

Living at the end of the electricity line means outages can be frequent and long, which can make everyday life harder than it should be.

As Jumeka said, "everyone just wants power that's reliable, sustainable,”

The scholarship provides up to $10,000 to support work that improves outcomes for energy consumers.

Jumeka will use it to help lead a community energy project in Nipapanha, looking at options like standalone energy systems, improving energy efficiency in homes, and finding ways to strengthen energy security.

This includes working with other community members to better understand energy use and explore solutions that work locally. Jumeka will also run two community information days.

After major outages in recent years, the community is now looking at what needs to change and what better could look like.

Through our partnership with Energy Consumers Australia, the scholarship supports people like Jumeka to build knowledge and take practical steps that make a difference in their communities.

Congratulations Jumeka.