Work category: Regions

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Book launch and events for Regional Energy Transitions in Australia: From Impossible to Possible

Regional Energy Transitions in Australia: From Impossible to Possible is out now. Join us at one of the many launches happening across the country from 5 March 2025.

It’s time for an honest conversation on the state of the energy transition, the remaining challenges, and what regions need to manage impacts and capture long-term benefits.

Australia is at a critical juncture in the energy transition. Once deemed impossible, the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy is now well underway. For the transition to be just and sustainable, it is vital that regional communities, those at the forefront of change, are listened to.

The newly released book, Regional Energy Transitions in Australia: From Impossible to Possible, provides an in-depth look at the challenges and successes of energy transitions in five key Australian coal regions: Port Augusta, the Latrobe Valley, Collie, the Hunter Valley, and Central Queensland.

With insights from over 20 contributors—including government officials, academics, industry experts, and community leaders—this book is an essential read for anyone invested in Australia’s energy future. It was co-edited by Dr Gareth Edwards, Professor John Wiseman, and Dr. Amanda Cahill, CEO of The Next Economy.

Attend a book launch event near you

Gladstone, Central Queensland – Date change to 7 May 2025

📅 Date: Wednesday 7 May 5pm – 7pm AEST
📍 Location: Rex Metcalfe Theatre, Leo Zussino Building (Building 3), CQUniversity, Gladstone Campus
🎟 Tickets: Get tickets here

🎤 Speakers: An honest conversation with Mayor Matt Burnett (Mayor of Gladstone Regional Council), Dr Amanda Cahill (book editor and CEO of The Next Economy), Kristy Marks, Economic Development Manager for Gladstone Regional Council and Craig Jones (Chief Financial Officer at Alpha HPA).

Recent events

Melbourne, Victoria

📅 Date: Wednesday, 5 March, 5pm – 7pm AEDT
📍 Location: Forum 3, Melbourne Connect, 700 Swanston St, Carlton, VIC 3053, Australia 
🌍 Host: Melbourne Climate Futures with The Next Economy
🎟 Tickets: Get tickets here 

🎤 Speakers: An honest conversation chaired by Professor John Wiseman alongside fellow book editors Dr Gareth Edwards and Dr Amanda Cahill, Sharan Burrow (Former General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation) and Dan Musil (Book contributor and Secretary, Earthworker Cooperative).  

Latrobe Valley, Victoria

📅 Date: Tuesday 11 March, 6pm – 7.30pm AEDT
📍 Location: Morwell Innovation Centre, 1 Monash Way, Morwell
🎟 Tickets: Get tickets here

🎤 Speakers: An honest conversation with Dan Musil (Latrobe Valley chapter contributor), Chris Buckingham (CEO, Latrobe Valley Authority), Josie Hess (Environment Victoria, award-winning filmmaker) and Jeffrey Jacquet (Global Director, Global Coal Transitions Research Network).

Hunter Valley, New South Wales

📅 Date: Wednesday, 12th March, 6pm – 7.45pm AEDT
📍 Location: NUspace, The University of Newcastle (Room TBC), Newcastle
🌍 Host: Institute for Regional Futures
🎟 Tickets:  Get tickets here

🎤 Speakers: An honest conversation with Amanda Cahill (book editor and CEO of The Next Economy), Associate Professor Liam Phelan (book contributor, University of Newcastle), Warrick Jordan (book contributor and Policy Specialist, the Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation), and Professor Kate Senior (Acting Director, the Institute for Regional Futures).

Sydney, New South Wales

📅 Date: Thursday, 13th March, 5pm – 6pm AEDT
📍 Location: Seminar Room 203, RD Watt Building, Camperdown
🌍 Host: Sydney Environment Institute with The Next Economy
🎟 Tickets:  Get tickets here

🎤 Speakers: An honest conversation chaired by Professor Susan Park (Professor of Global Governance, University of Sydney), with Dr Gareth Edwards (book editor, Visiting Associate Professor, University of East Anglia), Kimberley Crofts (book contributor, Researcher and Service Designer), and Dr Elianor Gerrard (book contributor, Institute for Sustainable Futures).

Brisbane, Queensland

📅 Date: Tuesday, 1st April, 5.15pm – 6.30pm AEST
📍 Location: Room 0M08 (enter via lift in Atrium), UQ City, 308 Queen Street
🎟 Tickets: Get tickets here

🎤 Speakers: An honest conversation with Trevor Gauld (Deputy Commissioner of Jobs and Skills Australia), Dr Amanda Cahill (book editor and CEO of The Next Economy), Liz Young (Research Director of the Queensland Decarbonisation Hub at Centre for Policy Futures, UQ), and Carly Quinn (General Manager People and Strategy at Gladstone Regional Council).

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

📅 Date: Thursday, 10th April, 5pm – 7pm AEST
📍 Location: Law Link Theatre, Fellows Lane, Australian National University, Canberra
🎟 Tickets: Get tickets here

🎤 Speakers: An honest conversation hosted by Professor Frank Jotzo with David Shankey (CEO of Net Zero Economy Authority), Dr Amanda Cahill (co-editor and author, CEO of The Next Economy), Associate Professor Bec Colvin (researcher on energy transition at ANU), and Jo Evans (former Deputy Secretary of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water).

What you’ll learn from the book

Regional Energy Transitions in Australia captures vital insights from communities that have navigated the transition away from fossil fuels over the past decade. It shows that: 

  • All energy transitions are local. They must be shaped by the histories, cultures, and needs of the communities most affected. 
  • Justice is key. A just transition means supporting workers and communities, including through re-employment, retraining, and early retirement options. 
  • Leadership and coordination matters. Strong governance, inclusive participation, and long-term policy stability are essential. 

Regional case studies 

Five coal regions featured in the book offer a powerful story about energy transitions in practice: 

  • Port Augusta, SA tells a story of community optimism and renewable investment tempered by inadequate support by state and federal governments.
  • The Latrobe Valley, VIC grappled with unplanned coal-fired power station closures and built resilience through rapid community and government collaboration. 
  • Collie, WA provides a powerful example of inclusive participation in transition planning, championed by First Nations Elders. 
  • The Hunter Valley, NSW has shown the importance of local coalitions working together to put community needs on the agenda during a complex regional economic transition.  
  • Gladstone, Central QLD demonstrates the importance of inclusive and locally driven engagement to shift from fossil fuels to renewable industries. 

Praise for the book

This collection presents a unique set of insights into how energy transition can be achieved at the regional level.

Prof. Frank Jotzo, ANU

“From ‘impossible to possible’ is a testament to hope and tenacity. The lessons learned from these regions demonstrate that the support of and co-creation with workers and community, along with government support, make the difference.”

Sharan Burrow, Former General Secretary
International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)

Get your copy

Purchase Regional Energy Transitions in Australia: From Impossible to Possible now via Routledge. 

📖 Order here: Routledge or Amazon. 
🎟 Use the code 25AFLY1 for a 20% discount on hard copies via Routledge. 
🛒 Available soon in paperback and electronic formats. 

Stay connected

Don’t miss out on upcoming events and insights! 

Join the conversation and be part of Australia’s just and sustainable energy transition. 

About the editors

Dr Gareth A.S. Edwards
Dr Edwards is Visiting Associate Professor at the University of East Anglia and Visiting Fellow at the Sydney Environment Institute. His research focuses on environmental governance, climate justice, and the socio-political dimensions of environmental change.

Professor John Wiseman
Professor Wiseman is a Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne’s Climate and Energy College and Chair of The Next Economy. He has extensive experience in public policy research, particularly in the areas of climate change, sustainability transitions, and social justice.

Dr Amanda Cahill
Dr Cahill is the CEO of The Next Economy, supporting communities in building resilient and sustainable economies. She has worked across Australia and internationally on projects related to economic development, energy transition, and social change. 

Mixed signals and missed champions: regional transition trends

(October 2024) Across Australia, communities are leading the transition to net zero – navigating multiple, compounding disruptions along the way – after years of minimal action or even discussion on climate change at a national level.

TNE’s Jacqui Bell, Dr Katherine Trebeck and Dr Amanda Cahill share key insights, ranging on topics from regional transition trends to nature and land use trade-offs to wellbeing economy principles, at the 2024 Better Futures Forum in September 2024. Photo credits: BFF/Gab Connolle

Here are five key trends or themes Dr Amanda Cahill, CEO of The Next Economy, and the team has observed in recent months: 

  1. Missing champions: The lived experiences of communities actively navigating the transition—experimenting, innovating, and addressing local needs—are often missing from the national conversation. From a community group in Gympie installing solar panels on local infrastructure to support vulnerable populations, including domestic violence shelters, to energy companies focused on creating long-term community benefits like housing, there are so many people getting on with it. We should be celebrating and learning from them. 
  2. Mixed signals: Regional communities are largely committed to the transition, but mixed signals from state and federal governments are not only frustrating they’re also undermining confidence to move forward with the real work. While there’s more investment in renewables and policies for net zero today than even a few years ago, new fossil fuel projects are still being approved even when expert bodies like the International Energy Agency say fossil fuel use must peak by 2025.  
  3. Models questioned: One of the most striking trends is the growing shift in how people think about the economy. For example, beyond day-to-day concerns like the cost of living, more communities are questioning the broader purpose of the economic system itself. The key question being asked is: if the economy isn’t directly benefiting local communities, what is its real value? Another question that keeps coming up is why development proponents decide whether their project will have social and environmental impacts on a community instead of a single, independent process and regulator. This shift in perspective signals a deeper rethinking of what good economic development really looks like. Read more: Rethinking economic responses: tackling the root causes of today’s challenges
  4. Many forms: The net zero transition is taking different shapes for different communities. For example, Mount Isa in Queensland is exploring how they can help the world to decarbonise and what it will take to develop their critical minerals processing potential while navigating the complexities that come with it. Meanwhile, in Hay and Carrathool in NSW’s Riverina region, communities are exploring how they are moving towards a future in agriculture and land use that’s both resilient to the impacts of climate change while responding to the decarbonisation of global supply chains. 
  5. Moving forward: We are now in the implementation phase of the net zero transition. It’s going to be challenging for a while, but we need to stay on course and remember that the decisions we make now really do matter. Right now, the infrastructure we invest in, the industries we promote and support, and how we build the capacity and mechanisms to ensure enduring community benefits, are all going to determine whether we reach our 2050 net zero goals – let alone the more ambitious ones that the science tells us we should be striving for. We can find a way forward that works for people and the planet.

The good news is, we have the knowledge, technology, skills and resources to draw from, we just need to get on with it. 

TNE staff at Heading Upstream Lab in August 2024, where leaders driving change across Australia convened to explore ways to put people and the planet first when it comes to the economy.

Gladstone’s 10-year Economic Transition Roadmap

Gladstone Regional Council launched its 10-year economic transition roadmap to support and guide Queensland’s industrial capital to becoming a renewable energy superpower in 2022.

The roadmap sees the region in prime position to respond to once-in-a-generation changes in the energy sector.

The Next Economy collaborated with Gladstone Regional Council to develop the detailed roadmap, which is the result of two years of research and extensive engagement involving 220 community, government and industry stakeholders. This included industry representatives, First Nations people, energy workers, environment groups and education and training institutions.

The Gladstone Region Economic Transition Roadmap guides Council on what is required to adapt to a rapidly changing energy sector and support a positive economic transition for its community over the next 10 years. Key themes of the roadmap include:

  • Energy security and affordability
  • Establishing a viable hydrogen industry
  • Diversifying the economy
  • Supporting and developing the local workforce
  • Capturing the community benefits
  • Protecting land and water resources.
Download Report
Download Summary

Mining towns want plan for energy transformation

Communities in Australia’s coal and gas heartlands say they need greater federal support and policy to mange the energy transition and make the most of economic opportunities.

Guest: Dr Amanda Cahill, CEO The Next Economy and author of What regions need on the path to net zero.

Duration: 12min 42sec
Broadcast: Sat 21 May 2022, 8:20am (the morning of the federal election)

Saturday Extra interview with Dr Amanda Cahill on the morning of the federal election

Energy transition community forum

In the wake of the 2019 Federal Election, TNE was able to share the findings of previous transition strategy workshops undertaken in the Hunter Valley and Queensland to challenge the divisive rhetoric that all of regional Australia (especially Queensland) was actively opposed to and in denial of the energy transition. The results from the workshops were used in a widely-shared Guardian article written by CEO Amanda Cahill, that showed that many people were starting to accept that the transition is inevitable, and that there were a number of economic challenges across regional Australia that was exacerbating fear, uncertainty and division. 

This article caught the attention of the Deputy Premier of Queensland, who was concerned about the growing division across the State. At the invitation of the Deputy Premier, Amanda participated in a community forum, where she challenged the government’s view that they should avoid talking about transition. Subsequent meetings led to Amanda convincing the State Government to fund the Energy Transitions Roadshow.

Central Queensland Energy Futures Summit

By Dr Emma Whittlesea

The Central Queensland Energy Futures Summit was a gathering of over 140 stakeholders, in Gladstone in April 2021, representing local and state government, energy companies and regulators, industrial sectors, unions, education and training institutions, Traditional Owners and environmental groups.

Amanda Cahill speaks at the Energy Future Summit
Amanda Cahill speaks at the summit

The Summit was hosted by The Next Economy and would not have been possible without the generous support of the sponsors Stanwell, CleanCo, Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF), CQUniversity and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC).

This report by The Next Economy summarises the activities over the two days and the key messages that came out of audience participation.

Download the report