Social Licence Toolkit for Local Government

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The Queensland Government’s nation-leading changes to the planning laws for renewable energy projects have established a system to ensure social impacts are addressed and community benefits are delivered.

These changes are empowering regional communities on renewable energy developments to ensure long-lasting legacy and community benefits are locked in for new projects prior to a development application seeking planning approval being made.

The toolkit helps councils understand their roles in renewable energy projects and how to support the social licence for new projects. The tools should be considered with respect to renewable energy projects for wind farms, large-scale solar farms and some battery storage facilities assessable under the Planning Act 2016.

The planning reforms now require developers to prepare a social impact assessment report. Councils play a key role in supporting this process and advocating for appropriate community benefits.

These changes also provide councils with flexibility to negotiate community benefit agreements (CBA) that suit their communities. The toolkit is designed to help councils navigate this negotiation process with confidence and shape better outcomes for local communities.

The Queensland Government has partnered with the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) to deliver the toolkit. It’s recommended that individual tools are downloaded regularly from this website to ensure the current version is being used.

The toolkit does not apply to coordinated projects declared under the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971.

Further information is available:

  • The toolkit specifically supports council in understanding, planning for and managing the development of renewable energy projects in their Local Government Area (LGA).

    This toolkit has been developed to assist councils with understanding their role in the stages of renewable energy project development, including those prescribed under the Planning Act 2016 (Planning Act), and engaging with proponents and communities.

    Importantly, the toolkit provides practical tools, templates and checklists that can build on the strategies, policies, plans and procedures councils already have in place.

    This toolkit supports councils in:

    • championing community needs, interests and values to guide renewable energy projects and ensure lasting local benefits
    • supporting frameworks and practices, both council-led and proponent-led, that build social licence
    • negotiating fair and transparent Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) informed by community input and assessments on project impacts
    • engaging meaningfully with proponents and communities
    • understanding advocating for communities by highlighting potential social impacts, including cumulative impacts of renewable energy projects
    • assisting their community’s understanding of the proponent’s obligations in planning, delivery, operation and end-of-project-life of renewable energy projects.

    Read more about this toolkit ( 1.1 MB).

  • Social licence refers to the level of community acceptance and trust in a project or its proponent.

    It reflects the goodwill and approval of stakeholders, including residents, landholders and businesses, and is critical to the success of projects that significantly impact local communities. It is not a formal regulatory approval, but a social contract that must be earned and maintained over time.

    Council’s role is to represent its community, advocating for them to ensure projects are delivered in ways that reflect local values, avoid community harm and provide genuine benefits. Councils can guide proponents to undertake early engagement, communicate openly and broadly, and understand the priorities and needs of communities.

    Through stakeholder engagement, drawing on local knowledge and fostering long-term relationships, councils can influence project outcomes, guide proponent behaviour to meet community expectations and ensure benefits are distributed across the community fairly. Building and maintaining social licence requires ongoing dialogue across all stages of the project lifecycle, not just at the approvals stage.

    When social licence is well-managed, it can strengthen local communities and boost economic conditions. A loss of social licence can erode community trust, especially if projects fail to deliver promised benefits or face backlash from concerned communities. For proponents, poor management of social licence can lead to reputational, operational or financial risks.

    Read more about understanding social licence ( 145.2 KB).

    1. Set expectations with proponents early
      Provide clarity on what matters to councils and communities to deliver local benefits and shared outcomes.
    2. Engage communities effectively
      While it is up to proponents to secure social licence, council can play a role by engaging the community to define the local context and priorities.
    3. Be prepared and start small
      Aim for progress over perfection, build on existing strategies and documents when drafting new ones. This enables councils to set clear expectations, strengthen outcomes and position themselves more confidently when dealing with major projects.
    4. Ensure diverse voices are heard
      Engage broadly, not just with vocal opponents or supporters.
    5. Be aware of and choose the right governance model
      Different community benefit governance models carry different advantages and risks. Councils should understand these so they can advocate for models that provide transparency, long‑term value and strong local oversight.
    6. Understand the difference between impact mitigation and community benefits
      CBAs incorporate measures that address direct project impacts (for example, noise mitigation for neighbours) as well as broader community benefit contributions (for example, energy rebates for the wider community).

Resources and tools

Resources and tools can be adapted for your council’s use without acknowledgement of the Queensland Government.

Download and learn more about the tools available to councils to support building and maintaining social licence for renewable energy projects.

Overarching tools

Councils play an important role in helping communities understand and engage with proposals for major energy and infrastructure projects. This section provides the following practical tools to support that work.

These resources help councils strengthen social licence, support informed decision‑making and advocate for positive outcomes for their communities.

Further information

Together, these resources help councils strengthen social licence, support informed decision‑making and advocate for positive outcomes for their communities.

Social impact assessment (SIA) process

Preliminary

These resources can help councils build an early understanding of proposed renewable energy projects and their potential social impacts before a formal assessment of social impacts begins. The toolkit aims to guide early-stage planning, support consistent, well‑informed engagement, and help councils prepare for effective discussions with project proponents.

View further information on project development considerations ( 2.2 MB).

Development

The following tools aim to help councils participate effectively in the development of a social impact assessment.

View further information on addressing community benefit system requirements under the Planning Act 2016 ( 282.5 KB).

Assessment

Councils can draw on the practical checklist to support a consistent approach to reviewing social impact assessments, with guidance to help inform project impacts and proposed mitigation measures.

Community benefit agreement (CBA)

Councils can use these tools to support early consideration of potential community benefit opportunities associated with renewable energy projects. These tools help inform discussions on shaping long‑term legacy benefits and on approaches for capturing and monitoring CBA commitments.

Development

These tools aim to support the development of CBAs by considering how local business and workforce development opportunities can be incorporated in a clear and practical way.

View further information on community benefit agreements ( 489.1 KB).

Development approvals

This resource is provided to support councils with their understanding of development approval requirements for renewable energy projects.

View further information on development assessment systems ( 224.0 KB).

Further resources

View glossary and terms ( 171.7 KB).

The toolkit draws on leading practice from across Queensland and Australia. Further information, ideas, suggestions and guidance can be found via the below links.

Disclaimer

The material in this toolkit is a general resource and is to be used as a guide only to support conversations between councils and renewable energy project proponents.

This toolkit is not an instrument prescribed by statute and provides no statutory guidance. Any references to policies are not an interpretation of those policies. The material or any part of the material in this toolkit (including any references to legislation) does not constitute legal advice. This toolkit should not be relied upon for the making of any decisions or the taking of any actions. This toolkit is subject to ongoing change without notice to you.

The State of Queensland makes no statement, representation, guarantee or warranty about the quality, accuracy, currency, context, completeness, availability or suitability of the information contained or referenced (including third-party websites) in this toolkit. Where appropriate, independent legal, financial, planning, tax and other advice should be sought.

View our full site disclaimer.

Last updated: 22 Jul 2026