One of the responsibilities of the Net Zero Economy Authority (NZEA) is to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to participate in, and benefit from, Australia’s transition to a net zero emissions economy.
First Nations Action Plan
The NZEA’s First Nations Action Plan provides a framework for how the NZEA will deliver on this responsibility.
The Action Plan guides how the NZEA engages with First Nations people and commits the Authority to:
- work in partnership with First Nations people
- include First Nations rights and interests in policies, programs and projects
- take guidance from the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the National Agreement on Closing the Gap
We are working with First Nations people in our priority regions to ensure First Nations:
- businesses, community organisations and community members are active in the transition
- people are direct beneficiaries of new and expanding industries
- people are partners in economic, social, environmental and cultural activities
- communities continue to manage their Country.
Together we will develop and deliver Regional First Nations Work Plans that include:
- an agreed and culturally appropriate governance structure for First Nations people to work with NZEA
- region-specific and First Nations-identified-and-supported benefits (social, environmental, cultural and/or economic)
- First Nations-agreed-and-supported projects and initiatives that aim to realise identified benefits
- jointly developed and agreed roles and responsibilities regarding progressing the realisation of identified benefits.
Working Partnership
In February 2025, the NZEA Board agreed to establish a First Nations Working Partnership to develop a plan to guide NZEA’s approach to facilitating and empowering First Nations participation, engagement and benefit-sharing.
This partnership approach is consistent with commitments under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Working Partnership supported NZEA to identify the range of First Nations benefits that can be achieved through the transition to net zero. Members continue to provide strategic guidance with a focus on the practical actions NZEA can take to support First Nations communities to secure those benefits and shape their economic futures.
We acknowledge and are grateful for the work, support and knowledge of all First Nations Working Partnership members. We also want to acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector’s tireless work in supporting self-determination and better life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.