Social Licence in Renewable Energy Toolkit for Local Government

Tool 1: Developing a guide to doing business in our region checklist

Supports councils in developing a “Doing business in our region” guide. The content can be reviewed regularly to reflect changes in local priorities, infrastructure needs, or state and federal policy settings.

Why develop a guide to doing business in our region? 

In a rapidly evolving landscape, councils with a guide to doing business in our region will be better equipped to manage competing demands, attract responsible investment and deliver long-term prosperity for their communities.

When implemented well, a guide to doing business in our region becomes a powerful, proactive tool, helping councils lead and shape development that delivers lasting value for their communities.

Download the Developing a guide to doing business in our region checklist ( 37.2 KB)

Tool 2: Understanding the project: key questions to ask proponents

Below is a detailed list of questions councils may ask energy proponents during early engagement around potential projects. Where helpful, brief explanations are included to clarify the purpose or context of the questions, support internal use and assist in briefing elected members and council officers.

This tool can be adapted for use in one-on-one meetings, written submissions, working groups or broader stakeholder engagement planning.

The answers to the questions contained within the tool will help to address some of the cumulative impact considerations.

Download Understanding the project: key questions to ask proponents ( 43.5 KB)

Tool 3: Renewable energy project pipeline register template

Track projects by their stages and any changes as they move from feasibility through various approval stages.

Download the Renewable energy project pipeline register template ( 35.2 KB)

Tool 4: Checklist for assessment of proponent’s Social Impact Assessment (SIA)

Helps councils assess a draft SIA report that is provided to council for feedback to a proponent.

Social impacts are defined by the Planning Act 2016 and refer to the impacts a development may have on people and communities. Social impacts can include impacts to physical and mental wellbeing of the community, as well as access to infrastructure, services and facilities.

A SIA is a process that helps identify how a development might affect the people living and working nearby, both the positive and the negative. It ensures that local communities are meaningfully considered and that any potential negative impacts are managed and positive opportunities are enhanced.

Under the Planning Act 2016, proponents are required to prepare a SIA report for development prescribed by the Planning Regulation 2017. The SIA report must be prepared, in accordance with the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) Guideline. The SIA Guideline Supplementary Material assists in providing additional detail and guidance to assist in the preparation of a SIA report.

The SIA Guideline provides a clear process for assessing the social impact of development, identifying what must be included in the SIA report and sets out requirements for community and stakeholder engagement. A SIA report may address processes for the management and monitoring of the social impacts of a project.

The proponent is required to provide a finalised report to council, and this will then form the basis for negotiating a CBA.

Download the Checklist for assessment of proponent’s Social Impact Assessment (SIA) report under the Planning Act 2016 ( 38.1 KB)

Tool 5: Developing community legacy benefits checklist

Helping councils identify, prioritise and document potential community legacy benefits to inform their engagement with projects and proponents.

• Community benefits can look very different from project to project in Australia, ranging from local employment opportunities to in-kind contributions and funding for community initiatives.
• There is no statutory price per megawatt that is required to be applied across all renewable energy projects in Queensland. Instead, financial contributions to the community may be negotiated between a proponent and council under a CBA, having regard to reflect the unique characteristics of each project and the needs of the host community.
• Factors such as project scale, local social impacts and community priorities may influence the community benefits sought by council.
• The goal is to deliver tailored, equitable outcomes for communities impacted by renewable projects, and the strongest outcomes are achieved when co-designed with local communities.

This tool may be adapted to suit councils' circumstances and community context. Depending on council resources and approaches, the process to engage with the community to identify, prioritise and document legacy benefits could be integrated into corporate or community planning, or managed as a separate process. This would then form part of a guide to doing business in our region.

Download the Developing community legacy benefits checklist ( 134.8 KB)

Resources: Where to go for more information

The toolkit draws on leading practice from across Queensland and Australia. Further ideas and suggestions can be found via these links.

Queensland Planning Legislation and Instruments

• Planning Act 2016
• Planning Regulation 2017
• Social Impact Assessment (SIA) Guideline ( 740.6 KB)
• Social Impact Assessment (SIA) supplementary material 
• Community Benefit Agreement Guidance ( 4.3 MB)

Coexistence Queensland

• Coexistence Queensland
• Coexistence Queensland Landholder guide: Decommissioning renewable energy projects
• A Guide to Land Access in Queensland

Queensland Farmers Federation

• Queensland Renewable Energy Landholder Toolkit

This toolkit and associated material is provided for information purposes only and does not provide statutory or legal advice. Users should obtain their own independent technical and legal advice.