The clean energy transition won’t succeed without community trust. And we’re running out of it

When a Moonlight Range Wind Farm project in Queensland was axed after more than two years of planning, it sent a clear message: the pace of Australia’s renewable energy transition is no longer being set by climate targets or investor confidence, but by community resistance.

Across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, a rising wave of local opposition is reshaping the energy landscape. Renewable energy projects are being delayed, downsized, or cancelled altogether. The challenges facing the transition are no longer primarily technological or financial; they are social.

For instance, a major solar and battery hybrid project near Yass was recently shelved after community pushback over poor consultation and concerns about visual impact. A clear casualty of eroding social license in regional communities.

In some areas, the backlash has taken on a personal tone. In Maxwell, New South Wales, farmers rejected financial offers from a developer as insulting and accused the project team of disrespect and secrecy.

Many communities report first learning about major projects through public notices, long after key decisions have been made. The result is a growing sense of exclusion and mistrust.

This tension isn’t entirely new. As early as 2022, analysts were warning that regulatory delays and community pushback could hinder the energy transition.

What has changed is the intensity and the political significance of the resistance. Farming communities are now at the centre of these debates, stirring deep divisions over land use, local control, and economic equity.

Inconsistent policy settings only add to the challenge. In New South Wales, for example, approval processes remain among the slowest and most costly nationwide.

Wind projects can take nearly a decade to progress through planning, at a cost of millions. Industry leaders warn that unless planning pathways are streamlined, Australia risks missing its 2030 emissions targets and losing investors’ confidence.

Yet not all the news is grim. Some councils and developers are learning from these conflicts and setting new standards for community benefits sharing, local job creation, and environmental stewardship.

There’s a growing recognition that meaningful engagement isn’t a “nice-to-have” but fundamental to getting projects off the ground.