Last week at Research Cafe, Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), Distinguished Professor Alaina Ammit, introduced Naomi Henry and Dr Bahareh Berenjforoush Azar who discussed the Trustworthy Digital Society project.
Building trust in the digital space
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Naomi Henry speaking at Research Cafe
Trustworthy Digital Society (TSD) is a research innovation hub that sits between UTS and UNSW. Led by former Minister for Customer Service and Digital in the NSW Government, the Hon. Victor Dominello, TDS is a collaboration focused on leading research in the space of trust within digital.
“What we are trying to do is essentially bring researchers, industry and government into the same space to find solutions that can be applied not just in theory but in the real world,” TDS Project Manager Naomi said.
“We want our work to lead to an output where there’s an intersection of AI, data, privacy and trust.”
Naomi said that one of TDS’ main focuses is society.
“We want it to be human centred with human centric solutions and a focus on vulnerable communities.”
This societal focus is reflected in projects that target vulnerable groups such as supporting older Australian adults or keeping children safe online.
We want our work to lead to an output where there’s an intersection of AI, data, privacy and trust..
Naomi pointed out how trust can be a very competitive advantage as it is important across all industries.
“Vulnerable groups are more at risk than ever and that’s where we as a collective from research, industry and government need to step in and create solutions.”
Naomi shared a list of 19 current TDS projects and invited anyone interested in collaborating with the lead Chief Investigators to reach out to her via email. Learn more about TDS.
Contact Naomi via email at naomi.henry@unsw.edu.au.
Empowering consumers through energy literacy
As project lead on one of the TDS-funded projects, Bahareh spoke about how her team has been granted funding to develop an energy literacy tool. A Lecturer in the School of Professional Practice and Leadership of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, Bahareh takes a multidisciplinary approach towards natural resource and environmental economics, specifically focusing on the energy-water-food nexus, waste management, and energy transition. She has extensive mathematical modelling and industrial engineering skills in these areas, including Input-Output Analysis, General Equilibrium, Econometrics, Performance Benchmarking, and Cost-Benefit Analysis.
“Last year, through FEIT Blue SKY seed fund, we were able to test the idea, and we realised that there is a gap in terms of energy literacy between consumers,” Bahareh said.
With Energy Consumer Australia recently announcing that only one out of five Australians understand the energy market in Australia and are able to assess and analyse their energy bill, Bahareh said that there is a huge gap.
“The knowledge gap in the current energy situation puts pressure on renewables and more responsibility onto consumers.”
Bahareh and her team are therefore addressing the need for consumers to have a greater level of energy literacy so they can understand what they are paying for.
“In our focus group, one of the key things we uncovered was trust. We found that participants have no trust in retailers and believe they are not telling the truth,” Bahareh said.
“The knowledge gap in the current energy situation puts pressure on renewables and more responsibility onto consumers.”
While energy options like solar power are becoming more popular, Bahareh noted that renters are largely excluded from installing rooftop solar and reducing their energy bills. She noted that it becomes very difficult to find out energy information or to understand the energy system without someone sitting down and training you.
Bahareh and her team’s project kicked off in August 2025 with a focus on Culturally Lingusitic and Diverse (CALD) communities with English as a second language.
“I was looking at the policies and saw that there was not much support for non-native speakers,” she said.
The team is co-designing a solution to the gap in energy literacy by holding workshops to assess understanding of their household energy plan with the end goal of developing an application that is customisable to the needs of each consumer.
“Through our work, we aim to show policymakers that the responsibility cannot always rest with consumers. It’s essential first to understand the current landscape and identify what consumers actually need."
"Energy bills are often difficult to understand, filled with technical language and terms that require prior knowledge to interpret," she said.
A collaboration between UTS and UNSW, Bahareh’s team comprises people from the Professional Practice and Leadership school, electrical engineering, computer science, and business school from both universities.
To learn more about the project contact Bahareh via email at Bahareh.BerenjforoushAzar@uts.edu.au.
Want to make your home more energy-efficient?
Bahareh is currently seeking participants for two focus groups planned for Monday 27 October 2025, 10am – 12pm and Monday 9 February 2026, 10am – 12pm at UTS city campus.
Share the workshop details within your networks or with friends and family to join the interactive workshops and help shape the future of energy literacy tools in our community.
Who can join?
The team welcomes participants who:
- receive an electricity bill
- communicate in basic English
- have internet access
- are 18 years or older
- are not a UTS or UNSW staff member.
Travel costs will be reimbursed and participants will receive a $200 gift card for attending both workshops.