The Regional Energy Accord is a national effort that draws on regional knowledge, experience and leadership to shape how the energy transition unfolds and shares benefits.

This is not another consultation. It’s codesigning a voluntary, place-based agreement for regional Australia, built from the ground up in regions like Gippsland, North-East Victoria, the Wimmera Southern Mallee and nationally, that sets shared principles and practical steps for how communities, industry, government and others will work together, in our region, and across regional Australia in partnership with community, industry and government.

In North-East Victoria, participants described the opportunity:

“Return on trust comes before return on investment.”

“We need something we can use at the kitchen table and in the boardroom.”

“A just energy transition doesn’t divide communities, it pulls them together.”

 

FAQs

Why does this matter?

Regional Australia is carrying the load of the nation’s energy transition, hosting the infrastructure, navigating the impacts and doing the groundwork for the nation’s energy transition. This work also unlocks opportunities: to strengthen local economies, create new industries, and build community resilience. But too often, projects happen to local communities, not with them. The Accord changes that. It starts with listening, not answers, and it’s about putting local people and knowledge at the centre of shaping how change happens.

Together, we can build thriving, resilient regional communities that are active partners in Australia’s renewable energy future. With an estimated $1.9 billion in benefits by 2050: Billions in the Bush Report, the Accord can offer a clear pathway to foster partnership, prosperity, innovation and pride in regional Australia through collaborative commitments. 

The co-design of the Regional Energy Accord:

  • Starts with listening, not pre-set answers.
  • Puts local people, values, and knowledge at the centre.
  • Aims to ensure the transition is just, fair, and built together.

At its heart, the Accord is about doing the transition differently: building trust, enabling local leadership and turning good intentions into visible action.

Importantly, it doesn’t want to replicate or duplicate good work already happening. Instead, it wants to be the glue that “connects the lines between the dots” and brings together a national aspiration and framework. The Accord can recognise that each local community has its strengths and aspirations, and that, at the end of the energy transition, regional Australia should collectively be better off.

By the end of phase two, we hope that at least 20 regions will have contributed to the design of the Accord. The national version will be grounded in the lived experience of regional Australia, with room to adapt as new lessons and opportunities emerge.

We’ve begun in Gippsland, the Wimmera Southern Mallee and North East Victoria, regions with lived experience, practical insights and a desire to lead. Each roundtable is shaped with and by local knowledge, grounded in the region’s realities and built to reflect the hard-won lessons and shared aspirations.

These are not talkfests. They’re working sessions where people walk away knowing they’ve contributed to something that will be used and felt.

Next step is NSW…..

If you’re participating in a Roundtable then you’ll be in the room with regional leaders from agriculture, education, health, First Nations, industry, local government and more. Together we will:

  • Test and build on what’s come from the process so far, from Gippsland and North-East Victoria.
  • Identify what matters most to the Wimmera Southern Mallee in the transition. Explore how the Accord can support your region in transitioning from good to better – to continue making the energy transition fairer, trusted and locally led.
  • Shape the first version of the Regional Energy Accord to reflect your region’s values, priorities, and ideas for action.

What you contribute will directly inform the national framework, one that will be tested, refined and strengthened by bringing together the story of the energy transition across regional Australia. As one North-East Victorian voice reminded us:

“This wasn’t just a warm-up. It was the work.”

 

The Regional Energy Accord is a national effort that draws on regional knowledge, experience and leadership to shape how the transition unfolds and shares benefits.

The Regional Energy Accord process is supported by The Energy Charter, a CEO-led collaboration of energy organisations across Australia, committed to better outcomes for consumers and communities. Three layers of governance drive the Accord:

  • Community Outcomes Group – Trusted local leaders from community, regional development, agriculture, First Nations, small business who stay involved nationally across all Roundtables to turn ideas into action.

  • Industry Impact Group – Energy sector leaders nationally across the supply chain aligning investment and operations with regional community priorities.

 

  • CEO Council – CEOs from over 30 energy organisations listening to regional voices and leading change inside their organisations.

The process is independently facilitated by regional leader, Bryce Ives ensuring conversations are grounded in trust, fairness and genuine collaboration.