Remote communities in Australia are less likely to have comprehensive regulatory protections for access to electricity and the services it provides. In a disconcerting measure of indifference, remote settlements are 18% more likely to be underserved across multiple metrics.
Analyses further highlight the possibility that Indigenous peoples, whose lands are among the most important contributors to the transition to renewable energy, are likely to be underserved by regulations that would secure their own energy needs.
Our analyses find that settlements with over 80% Indigenous share of population are 15% more likely to be underserved across multiple metrics compared with their non-Indigenous neighbours.
Regulatory review indicates that an estimated 5 million Australians (approximately one in five) are living in settlements where not all customers are guaranteed protections for life support, disconnection reporting, solar connection clarity, guaranteed service levels and independent complaints processes.
Those communities whose lands are rich in resources necessary for energy transition are simultaneously at risk of non-recognition of their own energy needs under current regulation, requiring policy remedies for a just transition.
Authors: Lee V. White, Bradley Riley, Sally Wilson, Francis Markham, Lily O’Neill, Michael Klerck & Vanessa Napaltjari Davis