Until Gina Cass-Gottlieb inserted herself memorably into the Brookfield-Origin Energy takeover debate, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s presence in debates about the energy transition was confined to admonishing companies for “greenwashing”.

The competition regulator’s chairwoman turned that on its head in October – straying into a field purists say should be left to elected governments – by elevating what Brookfield’s billions could do for Australia’s faltering energy transition over some genuine competition concerns.