As the new federal Labor government promises new jobs, low power bills and reduced emissions through its Powering Australia plan, the renewables sector is set to boom over the next decade.
Given all new energy projects are being installed on unceded First Nations land, the First Nations Clean Energy Network, an organisation representing Indigenous land councils, organisations and industry groups, has released two new guides to make sure new projects don’t repeat the mistakes of the fossil fuel sector’s past and are geared towards the best outcomes for First Nations communities from conception.
The first report, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Best Practice Principles for Clean Energy Projects lays out 10 principles for the clean energy industry, government and communities.
The principles include recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sovereignty was never ceded, ensuring First Nations people are resourced to obtain qualified independent legal, scientific and business advice in negotiations, ensuring the benefits of the agreement are shared, obtaining a ‘social license to operate’ through consistent, respectful negotiations, and recognising that consent must be maintained over time.
Of particular importance is the principle that energy companies engaging with First Nations communities must do the work within their own ranks as well as without, implementing a Reconciliation Action Plan with Reconciliation Australia.
The second report, Clean Energy Negotiations Guide for First Nations, is designed to help communities who want to negotiate or initiate mid to large clean energy developments on country. The guide covers all aspects of the negotiation, from joining or opposing a project to getting resources and advice.
“We see this as an enormous opportunity to make sure that we can deal with some of the issues of energy security for our mob, but also to make sure that some of the economic development that our communities want to see is done with clean, sustainable energy, and done the right way,” said Yorta Yorta woman Karrina Nolan, executive director of Original Power and a member of the First Nations Clean Energy Network steering group.
“There’s a lot of legacy issues that we all acknowledge that have come from extractive industry practices, and this is an opportunity to reset that relationship,” Nolan told the webinar launch of the new guides on Tuesday.
Djrau woman Ruby Heard, director of Alinga Energy Consulting and also a member of the steering group, said that renewable energy offers a unique advantage for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to generate their own power.
“Right now many of our communities run completely on diesel generators,” Heard said. “And so not only is that very expensive for our communities to maintain and keep their electricity running, a lot of our communities are also subject to seasonal flooding and that means that they can get cut off and can find it very hard to get diesel to make sure they have consistent power.
“So, we’ve got massive reliability issues in our remote communities.”
The guides are intended not only to provide a baseline framework for energy companies when engaging with First Nations communities, they are also designed to empower communities to advocate for and build their own economic advantage, by harnessing the green revolution.
“These principles place First Nations people in their communities at the centre of the development, design, implementation and benefit sharing of these medium to large scale, clean energy projects,” said Chris Croker, Managing Director of Impact Investment partners, also a member of the Network’s steering group and a Luritja man.
“While largely written for fellow First Nations communities with the clean energy projects being proposed on or near their lands, the principles are practically designed for all groups, developers, investors, government, and community.”
Croker said he anticipated that governments at every level would consider the principles when assessing new energy developments. He pointed out that these principles protect both country and people.
“We need to commit to protecting country and the environment, do our best to protect rare and endangered flora and fauna,” he said. “[As well as] ensuring that the economic benefits of projects are actually shared with the First Nations community.”
“First Nations communities have the right to self-determine what happens on their country and by providing principled and practical advice they can ensure clean energy projects are designed to provide meaningful jobs, economic benefits and reliable, clean energy,” added Nolan.
In a nod to the massive number of members attending the webinar, Heard said: “There are a tonne of people in this industry signalling that the future of energy involves First Nations people, and that their perspectives and needs should be heard.
“If we focus on embedding these outcomes in our energy projects, we will see the best results for Indigenous people, for the projects themselves, and for this country.”
