The government has committed more than $20 billion to solar, wind, and storage projects in regional and rural Australia from 2024-26, but insufficient community trust is causing rollout delays, according to community engagement consultancy Capire.
Capire, which has delivered stakeholder engagement programs for renewables projects including the Darlington and Meering West Wind Farms, says while there is overall public support for renewable energy, resistance at the local level surfaces when projects become a reality.
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“We see fear drive much of the opposition. Concerns within communities about land rights, safety, and visual or other negative impacts are often stronger than the perceived community benefit,” Capire spokesperson Matthew Gordon said.
“If developers engage only with landholders who will benefit financially, issue non-disclosure agreements, reveal decisions late in the process, and aren’t transparent with the wider community, it creates mistrust and deepens division between neighbours.
“A developer will never achieve true social licence where the whole community embraces the project; but with the right engagement they will get less pushback.”
Gordon said developers often avoided the uncomfortable community engagement actions which could result in the most beneficial social outcomes.
“Some regional and rural communities have historically felt unheard and ‘overridden’, because too often, developers still treat engagement as something you do after decisions are made or to justify decisions already taken,” Gordon said.
“Over the past two decades, communities have felt far more empowered, where advocating for themselves has often succeeded. Locals talk and can find out early on if a developer hasn’t been transparent. They use social media and community chat groups to build resistance.
“They see themselves as deserving a seat at the table when decisions affect their land and their communities.”
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Before commencing formal engagement processes, Capire recommends developers start engagement early, create space for intra-community deliberation, demonstrate transparency about the community’s influence, and view engagement as reputation management rather than risk management.
“Doing this well almost always saves money in the long run,” Gordon said.
