Australia is undergoing one of the largest energy and economic transformations.

Now is the time to invest in our communities, entities and people to participate in this transition so we can shape it and benefit from it for generations to come.

Ambition alone does not build projects. Every clean energy opportunity — from rooftop solar and batteries, to community microgrids and utility-scale renewable energy — needs the right mix of finance, partners, policy and risk-sharing. Yet too many First Nations projects still struggle to access the right capital at the right time, leaving gaps between early ideas, feasibility, investment, construction and long-term ownership.

This session brings together First Nations project leaders, philanthropists, government agencies, impact investors and commercial financiers to unpack what needs to change. It will explore the policy settings, investment architecture, public finance, infrastructure planning and First Nations-led financial institutions needed to move beyond project-by-project participation and build genuine economic power.

At its heart, this discussion asks: what will it take for First Nations people to become architects of Australia’s clean energy economy, not just participants within it?