Building Prosperous, Just, and Resilient Zero-Carbon Regions

Increasing recognition of the speed with which fossil fuels need to be phased out combined with sharp falls in renewable energy costs are creating significant challenges for many Australian regional communities with a long history of reliance on fossil fuel industries. At the same time, there is also increasing evidence that a well-managed, just transition to a zero-carbon economy can create huge economic, employment, health and environmental opportunities and benefits.

Learning from the diverse ways in which Australian and international governments, communities, trade unions and business are responding to these challenges and opportunities provides an important source of guidance in setting regional transition policy and research priorities. This Discussion Paper therefore provides a concise overview of learning from recent Australian and international policy and research literature about strategies for accelerating just and well-managed regional transitions. Key learning about regional transition policy and research challenges, opportunities and priorities highlighted in the paper includes the following.