Social Engagement Dynamics Reports

The Australian Energy Transition Research Plan (2021), developed by the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) in consultation with key stakeholders, identified key research priorities across three themes. This paper, on Social Engagement Dynamics, expands the second theme, reviewing existing research to identify key research gaps to address immediate and strategic needs of research users and consumers, and outlining what opportunities can be realised through Australia 
addressing these priorities. This theme focuses on the policy and regulatory settings that will be required for the transition, how energy users can be engaged in the process, and how principles of equity, justice, and fairness will be developed and applied throughout the transition.
 

The report’s key findings validate the need for further research insights to guide and underpin strong policy positions by all Australian governments. Such policies will continue to be critical in building confidence and the right environment to drive the energy transition. Australia’s international obligations, together with the expected pressure from international investors and consumers of Australian products and services, have driven the shift to net-zero emissions by 2050, including increasing bipartisan support for net zero emissions. The focus of the Commonwealth’s emission policy is primarily the development, application, and use of technology to drive the energy transition, rather than introducing trading or taxation systems, or imposing quantitative limits on the emission of greenhouse gases. As technologies emerge, and existing sources of energy and infrastructure are utilised in different ways, there is a need to revisit the regulatory frameworks to ensure that regulation remains comprehensive and best practice, encourages business, and supports community engagement and acceptance.
 

There is a clear research direction for the need for insights from the social sciences and humanities to sit alongside advancements in engineering and the physical sciences. Community, engagement, participation, and social licence are critical factors in the energy transition, and it is through these lenses that future research around Social Engagement Dynamics must also be grounded. Community engagement and acceptance has progressed in recent years, although community concerns and benefits remain highly underrepresented. Research funding and focus must encompass two critical areas – Indigenous impacts, benefits, and considerations, and the health impacts of the energy transition. Health impacts must be addressed given the 
importance of health in the economy and the need for a healthy population. Further, given that many of the future renewable energy projects will be on or near indigenous land and communities, such research is a high priority. In pursuing research on Social Engagement Dynamics, a mix of urgent and more strategic local and international research across all disciplines needs to be pursued, including multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary considerations. The energy transition needs to happen at a rapid pace and scale, and insights derived from ACOLA’s Research Plan will provide important knowledge for further and future domestic and global transitions.