Large-scale renewable energy developments on the indigenous estate: How can participation benefit Australia's First Nations peoples?

Abstract

The transition to renewable energy in Australia represents a significant opportunity for First Nations communities to benefit from developments on their land. In partnership with the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation and the First Nations Clean Energy Network, the authors conducted research exploring this opportunity, with a specific focus on the barriers preventing First Nations from achieving these benefits and what different groups of actors could do to help overcome these barriers. In this paper we present the findings from a series of semi-structured interviews with Traditional Owners, First Nations groups, renewable energy developers and industry representatives, legal experts and other academics. We identified two groups of barriers – overarching barriers including ongoing disadvantage and a lack of funding and resourcing for First Nations groups, and barriers specific to renewable energy developments such as the absence of Indigenous free, prior and informed consent in project approval processes and unclear, non-uniform legislative frameworks. To overcome these barriers, we recommend strategies for different actors. For example, governments could implement Indigenous free, prior and informed consent in regulatory regimes and the renewable energy industry could establish cultural education and training programs for company staff.