Renewables could be the gold rush of the 21st century
The legacy of the gold rush is etched across regional Victoria – in our grand public buildings, historic town centres, telecommunications, roads and railways and in the generations who call the regions home because their ancestors were drawn to a new opportunity.
Today, regional Australia stands on the cusp of another gold rush. This time, the opportunity is powered not by precious metal, but by the global shift to renewable energy.
Indeed, the Clean Energy Council reported $12.7 billion in new investments in Australian renewable energy in 2024 alone.
Regional communities understand better than most why this transition is essential. We are living with the consequences of climate change every day – destructive floods, relentless bushfires, and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.
Some politicians continue to cling to coal in the name of stability, but the market has already moved on. Investors simply aren’t investing in ageing fossil fuel infrastructure and are instead looking to new forms of energy generation. Pretending otherwise is a fantasy.
Households are already leading the energy revolution with 4.2 million Australian households taking up rooftop solar and more than 100,000 homes installing a battery. But to build a truly reliable and resilient grid in the most realistic and cost-effective way, large-scale renewable generation and transmission are essential. If done well, this shift can unlock a renewed boom of prosperity for regional Australia – delivering jobs, investment, new income streams for farmers, reliable and cheaper power and long-term infrastructure.
The truth is clear, the regions hosting energy projects are vital stakeholders in the transition to renewables and must also enjoy the prosperity it creates. And a critical mechanism to make that happen? Long-term, substantial community benefit funds.
Where communities and proponents have developed trusting relationships through early, effective community engagement, they have secured stronger agreements, clearer financial benefits and more say over local outcomes. Towns like Dubbo and Armidale, where multi-million-dollar funds are being established, are setting up intergenerational prosperity. But right now, these examples are the exception, not the rule.
Community benefit should not be an optional extra. Communities hosting wind farms, solar farms, transmission lines and batteries should receive long-term benefit funds, cheaper local energy, and improved services, legacies that remain for years to come. Communities must be proactive in advocating for this. The Snowy Hydro scheme transformed regional Australia with lasting housing, roads and jobs. Today’s renewables rollout should be equally impactful.
Because if the transition fails regional Australians, it risks failing altogether. But if we get engagement right, if benefit funds flow, if prosperity is shared, our energy transition can secure a thriving future for the regions for decades to come.
Renewable developers can’t simply “plug in and play”. Now is the moment for regional Australians to take our place at the negotiating table – to work together, act smart, and secure a prosperous future on our own terms.
Dr Helen Haines MP
Independent Federal Member for Indi
ENDS