Labor Opens $10 Million Grants for Indigenous-Led ‘Clean Energy’ Projects

The Labor government will provide up to $10 million (US$7.15 million) in grants to support “clean energy” projects developed by Indigenous groups.

The government said the grants aimed to support energy projects involving Indigenous leadership, decision-making and participation, with the potential to generate long-term financial returns and benefits for Indigenous communities.

Applications for the grants are now open and will close on Sept. 28.

The grants will assist up to two eligible Indigenous groups in moving projects with a capacity of more than one megawatt from the feasibility stage towards securing the financing needed to proceed.

Specifically, the support funding can be used to commence project engineering and design work, develop construction plans and schedules, conduct commercial and contract negotiations, and undertake community benefit planning.

To qualify for the funding, projects must be located in Australia, meet the government’s definition of a clean energy project, and have an expected capacity of more than one megawatt.

The latest $10 million in grants are part of the government’s wider First Nations Clean Energy Program, which is expected to deliver $70 million in investment over three years from 2025.

The announcement comes amid concerns that the Labor government is funnelling climate funding towards Indigenous welfare programs rather than emissions-reduction measures.

In August, Shadow Energy Minister Dan Tehan said the government’s net-zero fund was directing millions of dollars into “opaque” Indigenous welfare programs with little transparency.

He cited a confidential brief from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water that identified $894.8 million in “benefits for First Nations communities” to be delivered by proponents awarded funding under the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS), compared with $123.5 million for “local employment.”

“The Albanese Labor government’s green slush fund hasn’t delivered the promised $275 off household energy bills, but it has secured windfall cash flows for Indigenous groups,” Tehan said.

“The vast majority of Labor’s renewable projects are in limbo land: announced but not contracted because they simply don’t stack up.

“For those projects that are underway, millions are being pumped into Indigenous welfare programs while regional communities continue to get smashed by Labor’s botched Net Zero transition.”

The Epoch Times has contacted the federal government for comment.