The Local Energy Hubs campaign entered its second year in 2025, as we advocate for a national network of locally-led, well-resourced energy service centres to support rural and regional Australians with all aspects of the shift to renewables. 

Across the year, we've had countless meetings with MPs and stakeholders who get the vision and also want the federal government to demonstrate trust and provide communities with the resources they need to combat disinformation and harness investment in renewables at the local level. We’ve generated hundreds of media stories across newspapers, TV, and radio. 

Local Energy Hubs “pop-up” in Wollongong in April

Standout moments for us over the last year include the Hunter Community Alliance pressing Minister Bowen to commit to Local Energy Hubs at an assembly of 650 people, an open letter signed by 50 community organisations joining to call for hubs, and a “pop-up” Local Energy Hub at an empty shopfront in Wollongong. Last month, we appeared in front of a Senate Inquiry on misinformation to speak to Local Energy Hubs as a key part of the puzzle to combat disinfo and division about climate and energy – head to the Hubs website to see highlights of media coverage on this. 

We are disappointed that despite a willingness to engage, the Federal Government is yet to commit to funding Local Energy Hubs, or any policy designed to build capacity of regional communities in the shift to renewables. 

Unfortunately we have seen that over the last two years while we have been campaigning for this solution, disinformation and division in many parts of rural and regional Australia has only become worse.

Hunter Community Alliance assembly in March

Despite the disappointment, we are incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved. We developed an ambitious and detailed policy solution, listening to communities and stakeholders and maturing our design of the Local Energy Hubs model as we went. 

We successfully moved the conversation away from the “social licence problem” to one centred on community agency and opportunity by putting solutions on the table. 

We’ve watched as our work inspired local groups and local governments to start doing this work themselves with the resources they have available, rather than waiting around for federal support. They are getting on with the job of providing their communities with access to high quality, locally relevant information about the shift to renewables, with a clear eyed view of risks and opportunities – and all without the jargon.

While we’re not going to stop pushing the Federal Government to acknowledge and resource local communities to do this important work, our focus will broaden to working with state and local governments to fill the local coordination gap required to ensure opportunities from renewables investment are able to be realised by local communities, on their terms. 

There are plenty of opportunities to stay connected to this work, and we’d love for you to consider joining one of our networks if you’re interested: 

Yes2Renewables Community Organisers Network

The Yes2Renewables community organisers network is an online meeting space for people supporting and organising in support of renewables work throughout regional Australia. It is a space to share skills, support and celebrate wins, and help each other strategise the way forward in each community, including campaigning for Local Energy Hubs and other solutions. To join the network please email Y2R National Organiser [email protected] and explain a little about why you'd interested to join the network and any organisations you're already a part of.

Regional Leaders Network

The Regional Leaders Network, hosted by RE-Alliance, is for those of you working in local government or regional development in the shift to renewables. We hold regular online meetings on topics like negotiating with developers, workforce accommodation and community engagement, to support skill building and network building between local leaders navigating the shift to renewables. You can find out more about the Regional Leaders Network here. 

This campaign is run collaboratively by RE-Alliance, Community Power Agency and Yes2Renewables.