A new report has found that strategic support for Aboriginal Land Councils could unlock significant renewable energy capacity and accelerate New South Wales’ clean energy transition.
The report, Local Aboriginal Land Council Powershift, was developed through a joint research initiative between UNSW Sydney and UTS, supported by an Australian Public Policy Institute Policy Challenge Grant. It presents a series of recommendations for the New South Wales Government to unlock the potential for Aboriginal land councils to host and own renewable energy on their own lands across the state.
Director of the Indigenous Land and Justice Research Group at UNSW Sydney, and the report’s lead researcher, Professor Heidi Norman, said that Aboriginal land councils manage extensive land holdings, many of which are ideally suited for renewable energy developments such as solar and wind.
“With the right policy frameworks and support, Aboriginal communities – organising through their land councils – can play a transformative role in Australia’s energy transition,” Professor Norman said.
Across New South Wales, local Aboriginal land councils (LALCs) manage 447km2 of land, with a further 7438km2 under claim. Despite this, First Nations participation in renewable energy projects has been minimal.
Case studies in action
Drawing on case studies in partnership with Brewarrina, Hay and Tibooburra, the report highlights how locally-led energy projects can align with broader government priorities – such as enhancing regional grid reliability, accelerating renewable energy zones (REZ), and embedding First Nations outcomes in infrastructure planning.
In Tibooburra, a remote town near the New South Wales–South Australia border, the local land council is exploring microgrid solutions to improve energy reliability and create jobs.
Brewarrina, a majority-Aboriginal town on the Barwon River, faces high energy costs and unreliable supply. The land council there envisions solar and battery projects that deliver tangible benefits – lower bills, local employment, and cultural preservation.
Meanwhile, Hay LALC, located in a designated REZ, is already integrating renewable energy into its broader land management and enterprise strategy with a focus on equity and global Indigenous partnerships.
The opportunities
UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures representative, Dr Saori Miyake, said, “Our spatial analysis found that activating the Aboriginal land estate could unlock over 11GW of solar energy or 1.6GW of wind energy – larger than the capacity of the biggest REZ under development – and if outstanding land claims are resolved that potential increases nearly twentyfold.”
According to UNSW Sydney Indigenous Land and Justice Research Group expert, Therese Apolonio, Aboriginal land councils have the land, the interest and the vision.
“What they lack are the resources, partnerships, and policy support to turn that vision into reality,” Ms Apolonio said.
The report identifies key barriers that currently limit the participation of Aboriginal land councils in clean energy initiatives, including constrained resources, limited planning and governance networks, and a lack of incentives for energy partners to engage with the Aboriginal land estate.
Policy pathways
The Powershift report shows how empowering Aboriginal land councils to develop renewable energy can help achieve the goals of the Australian Government’s First Nations Clean Energy Strategy, (2024–30) and the NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap to shift from coal to renewable energy. It calls for a policy agenda that centres Aboriginal land councils as key players in the energy transition.
According to UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures Energy Program Director, Associate Professor, Chris Briggs, there are four key policy moves required.
“We need programs to build the capacity of lands councils to participate in renewable energy projects, collaborations with lands councils on micro-grids in remote areas, pilot projects to develop renewable energy projects in partnership with developers on lands council sites and expediting lands claims to unlock renewable energy opportunities.
“We’ve seen before that programs led by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) with government and industry participation can unlock renewable energy at scale – we need to see dedicated programs and funding to do the same for renewable energy on Aboriginal land.”
Some of the key recommendations include:
- Establishing a dedicated government support team for land councils
- Funding for pre-feasibility studies and capacity building
- Prioritising Aboriginal land for energy infrastructure siting
- Collaboration between planning agencies and Lands Councils to prepare sites for renewable energy development
- Funding for ARENA to pilot mid- and large-scale renewable projects on LALC land
- Expediting land claims and strengthening cultural heritage protections
“These are practical, achievable steps,” Professor Norman said.
“But they require political will and a shift in how we think about land, power and partnership.”
Environmental and social impact
The report said that the environmental benefits of boosting First Nations engagement in the energy transition are clear: accelerating New South Wales’ transition to renewables, reducing emissions, and improving energy resilience in remote areas. But the social impact could be even more profound.
“Previously the economic benefits have been limited to employment and procurement, but the report charts pathways for Aboriginal ownership and equity through hosting renewable energy projects on Aboriginal land,” Ms Apolonio said.
“The social impact of Aboriginal land councils engaging in the renewable energy transition in this way will be powerful, generating wealth to reinvest in housing, education, health, land management and cultural programs as communities see fit.”
IMG_4062 (2).jpg 0.65
