The Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation have published a comprehensive guide to assist First Nations understand, participate, and lead in the renewables and clean energy sector.
Produced as part of the ILSC’s Sector Leadership: Future Industries Initiative, the guide provides an overview of issues and opportunities for First Nations peoples with an interest in the renewable energy sector.
Written with assistance from the First Nations Clean Energy Network, the guide talks sets the scene with a discussion about climate change and the impact of extreme weather events, like heatwaves, storms, and floods on First Nations people in regional and remote areas.
For instance, in Wujal Wujal, Queensland, 300 people had to leave their homes after massive floods from ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper in December 2023. They were told not to return until late 2024. In NSW, 220 people from Cabbage Tree Island started returning home in late 2024 after extreme flooding in February 2022 made their island unliveable. On Saibai Island in the Torres Strait, people have been leaving for years because rising sea levels are destroying the land. In South Australia and western NSW, many First Nations homes lost power for weeks in extreme heat after major storms on 17 October 2024. In the Kimberley, Western Australia, heavy rain from ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie (Dec 2022 to Jan 2023) caused severe flooding, leaving hundreds of First Nations people displaced and their homes damaged. And over 96,000 First Nations people were affected by the Black Summer bushfires (2019 to 2020) in Queensland, NSW, ACT, and Victoria.
As the Guide says, these disasters are making it harder for First Nations communities to access reliable electricity, heating, and cooling, especially in poor-quality housing.
The Guide gives an overview of the energy sector, and significantly, looks at the rights and interests of First Nations people in the transition to renewable energy.
It provides an overview of government programs where First Nations people now have the opportunity to gain benefits (many thanks to the advocacy of the First Nations Clean Energy Network), including the Capacity Investment Scheme, Future Made In Australia, the Net Zero Economy Authority, and ARENA’s Regional Microgrids Program.
And it looks at some of the opportunities ahead, including further accelerating First Nations partnerships in clean energy development, noting 'the development and placement of renewable energy projects and infrastructure on land and sea Country represents a significant economic development opportunity'.
It also previews some of the challenges, including First Nations' historical exclusion from energy planning, land use and regulatory barriers, and economic barriers and capital access, including in securing funding, resources, and informed decision-making support.
Download the guide
The ILSC has also produced four other guides 'to elevate and amplify First Nations leadership, voices, and economic participation and drive progress' in:
The ILSC assists First Nations people with the acquisition and management of land, salt water and fresh water so they can achieve economic, environmental, social and cultural benefits.
It focuses on emerging markets: supporting First Nations engagement in rapidly developing sectors to ensure self-determination in land and sea management while addressing historical inequities; and existing markets with growing awareness: enhancing First Nations participation in the priority sectors, where there is increasing political and public recognition of past exclusion from economic benefits.