The next roundtable feeding into the co-design of the First Nations Clean Energy Strategy is being held in Newcastle, New South Wales on 25 - 26 September 2023.
While Australia's transition to clean energy has been underway for years, there is no better time than the present to address the concerns of First Nations people.
Last year the Commonwealth agreed to co-design a First Nations Clean Energy Strategy aimed at bringing First Nations people front and centre of the energy transition.
There have been a number of roundtables held to date including in the Pilbara, Alice Springs, the ACT and Cairns. Port Augusta's roundtable is happening on 11-12 September, with the next roundtable scheduled for NSW. More roundtables in other jurisdictions will follow.
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Energy Ministers from all jurisdictions committed to resource the roundtables to support the First Nations Clean Energy Network’s three pillars – community, industry partnerships and policy reform – citing the Strategy development as an opportunity to review laws, regulation and policy; lift barriers and implement regulatory reform; and to stoke government investment in innovation, technology and infrastructure so that First Nations people can share in and benefit from the renewable energy boom.
First Nations communities struggle with unreliable, expensive power and the impacts of this are worsening as the costs of living rise.
Land will be needed for clean energy projects and tens of thousands of kilometres of new transmission lines will be built, creating new job and business opportunities for First Nations People.
The roundtables brings people together to talk about what’s working and what’s not. Together, we will come up with recommendations for actions, policies and programs that Federal and State Governments should implement.
Enabling and empowering First Nations to play a key and central role in Australia’s renewable energy transition goes beyond just social licence issues – it presents a unique opportunity for Australia to design a system that is fair and just and can provide other social and economic benefits for First Nations.
Participating in the roundtable discussions will provide you with the ability to ensure Australia’s energy transformation occurs with a strong First Nations voice about the priorities and issues that are important to First Nations.
Input from First Nations voices will ensure that the strategy achieves energy security for our communities.
The roundtable are being run by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water, with assistance from the National Indigenous Australians Agency and the First Nations Clean Energy Network.