Helen Haines Reframes the Energy Transition as a ‘Gold Rush’ for Regional Australia

In a recent parliamentary speech, Independent MP and long-time friend of the Engagement Institute Dr Helen Haines offered a compelling reframing of Australia’s energy transition — one that should catch the attention of every engagement professional working with regional communities.

Speaking during debate on the Coalition’s Bill to repeal Australia’s Net Zero commitment, Dr Haines challenged the narrative that regional Australia will be burdened by the shift to renewables. Instead, she described the transition as a “gold rush” for regional communities — an unprecedented economic and social opportunity if handled with integrity, transparency and genuine community partnership.

Her message cuts through a national conversation that too often frames regional communities as passive recipients of change rather than active partners in shaping it. For practitioners, this distinction matters. The way we talk about transition sets expectations, fuels confidence and influences how communities participate in decisions that affect their future.

Dr Haines’ framing places regional communities at the centre of what could become one of the most significant economic shifts in decades — positioning them not as bystanders to policy, but as stewards of new industries, new skills and new regional identities. That’s a powerful foundation for meaningful engagement.

It also reinforces a key theme of our own work: communities engage best when they can clearly see the opportunity, have agency in the process and trust that decisions are being shaped with them, not around them.

With large-scale infrastructure, workforce transitions and long-term land use planning all unfolding simultaneously, this moment is more than an engineering project. It’s a social project — one that demands strong, honest and inclusive engagement to ensure communities share in the benefits and have genuine influence over how change is delivered.

For those engaging in the energy transition — particularly across regional Australia — Dr Haines’ speech is worth a read. You can find it here.

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