In Australia, there are now many examples of Traditional Owners developing clean energy projects in partnership with clean energy developers and companies.

This discussion paper looks at how Australian Traditional Owners are taking charge of large-scale clean energy projects on their Country.

Key takeaways include finding that regulatory approvals are likely to be faster where the Traditional Owner group is the owner/co-owner of the project, or substantially involved in the project from an early stage. 

Additional takeaways include:

• Traditional Owners have a legal veto over large-scale clean energy projects.
• Many groups are taking charge of clean energy projects on their Country, far more so than is possible for mining, oil and gas.
• Cultural heritage is easier to protect for clean energy projects than it is for mining, oil and gas projects.
• Traditional Owners must be resourced properly - to undertake their own wind and solar mapping, to obtain legal & financial advice - in order to best benefit from the clean energy transition.

Authors: Dr Lily O’Neill and Dr Kathryn Thorburn, University of Melbourne, published March 2025.

Read the paper

The First Nations Clean Energy Network invites you to register your interest in attending our 3rd First Nations Clean Energy Symposium to be held on Thursday 14 August and Friday 15 August 2025.