First Nations Clean Energy Program

Luana CORMAC  11.14
Hello everybody, just giving everybody a moment to join now that we've started.

Luana CORMAC  21.58
Good afternoon or good morning, wherever you are joining us from today. We want to welcome you to our First Nations Clean Energy Advice Grants webinar. This is about the first round of our advice grants. For those of you that don't know me, my name is Luana Cormac and I am the head of the First Nations and Clean Energy Facilitation Branch.

Luana CORMAC  44.20
Today, we're going to talk you through the advice grants. We're going to explain who they're for, how to apply for them, and what happens once you put an application in. We're really glad that you could join us today, and we're really looking forward to supporting First Nations communities to explore and engage with

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Clean Energy opportunities for the provision of these grants.

Luana CORMAC  1:7.14
Before we get started though, I'd really like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we are meeting today. For me, that's Larrakia country here in Garigarra and Darwin. It is currently a delay. It's the monsoon season up here. And the monsoon, the Larrakia people believe it replenishes the dry and thirsty land.

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with water gushing all over the rivers and creeks and the floodplains become buried in lakes of water.

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And it is a beautiful time of year, but for many of you, I'm sure you're aware, it's been a very, very extensive monsoon. And that has had some really serious ramifications for people, particularly in our remote communities. So in addition to acknowledging country, our thoughts go out to all of those.

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Aboriginal people currently impacted by greater than usual flooding and monsoon season and cyclone season here, particularly in the north. So I pay my respects to elders past and present, and I extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people joining us online today.

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I want to acknowledge the ongoing connection to the land, waters and community and recognise the traditional owners of country right across Australia, wherever you are dialling in from, and their continuing connection.

Luana CORMAC  2:35.34
Before we get started, I'm going to do a little bit of housekeeping. I can see that someone has their hand up. I'm not sure if you do mean to have your hand up, but we're going to work through a presentation for about 20 minutes, and then we'll come to questions and answers at the end. I can't see the name of the person that's got their hand up.

Luana CORMAC  2:56.34
but hopefully you can hear and see us.

Luana CORMAC  3:3.58
So a little bit of housekeeping, just to let you know, this presentation will be recorded for those who can't join us today. And we will also make the slides from this session available. The recording will also be available on the website and noting that

Luana CORMAC  3:24.42
We aren't going to record the Q&A session at the end, but we will provide some frequently asked questions and some further information on the basis of the discussion that we have here today. Our aim is to ensure that you've got as much information as needed to be able to apply for these grants because they are designed

Luana CORMAC  3:44.50
to be easily accessible and we'd really like to see this very much needed Mundi getting out and across country to support First Nations participation.

Luana CORMAC  3:56.66
So just a quick recap, just to make sure you're in the right virtual room. Today we're going to run you through an overview, a brief overview of who we are and the First Nations Clean Energy Strategy, which is a piece of work this team has been working on driving at a national level for a few years now.

Luana CORMAC  4:17.94
And then we're going to talk you through in detail this first part of the broader First Nations Clean Energy Program, which is a package of funding. Today we're going to talk through the first round of the First Nations Clean Energy Advice Grants, covering who's eligible, what the grant can be used for and how you apply.

Luana CORMAC  4:38.82
This will include some of the detail around the documentation that you need to provide, the time frames, and really importantly, that we get you into this grant program as soon as possible. And then as I mentioned, we'll finish up with a Q&A session at the end.

Luana CORMAC  4:58.42
So just quickly to start with, a little bit about who we are. Government can be really difficult to navigate. So we are a team that works in the Federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water. And our team sits in the Energy Group, which is really responsible for supporting the

Luana CORMAC  5:18.22
transition initially to 82% by 2030 and then to net zero by 2050. A lot of our work focus on not just the transition from a tech perspective, but also how we transition that. And we see that working really closely with First Nations people, including through implementation of the First Nations Clean Energy Strategy,

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as a way to ensure that First Nations people are able to participate and importantly lead that energy transition.

Luana CORMAC  5:48.90
Today, I've already introduced myself. I'm Luana. I've also got the lovely Amanda ANDONOVSKI joining me, who is the director, one of the directors in my branch, and a range of other directors online. Teena Riley is here as well. He'll be helping out with the Q&A. And my team is in the background to help support us to answer any questions that you may have at the end.

Luana CORMAC  6:13.94
So just quickly a little bit about the strategy. So I really hope that you've all seen this document. The First Nations Clean Energy Strategy is the Australian government's national framework for making sure that First Nations peoples benefit from the clean energy transformation. And they have a say about

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how it impacts at a community level.

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This strategy was developed over about 18 months and we worked closely with the First Nations Clean Energy Advisory Committee. The strategy was launched in December 2024 and now we're working really hard on implementation.

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There are three main goals under the Strategy that were identified through that process, working in partnership with First Nations people right across Australia. The three goals include powering First Nations communities with clean energy, enabling equitable partnerships, and thirdly, achieving economic benefits with First Nations people.

Luana CORMAC  7:14.42
And to support this implementation, the Commonwealth Government committed $74.6 million / 3 years as an initial down payment on implementation of the strategy. This includes the First Nations Clean Energy Program and also five years worth of support for the really important role of the First Nations Clean Energy and Climate Change Advisory Committee.

Luana CORMAC  7:37.62
Today we want to focus on one part of this package of funding, and that's the first round of our Advice Grants. So I'm going to hand over to Amanda, who will talk you through the Advice Grants in detail. And then at the end, we've got time for any questions you may have. Over to you, Amanda.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  7:57.62
Thanks Lou and hi everyone and welcome and thank you for participating today. As Lou mentioned, of that overall package, one of the key elements is the First Nations Clean Energy Advice Grants and we have a total of 39.45 million

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  8:16.50
for that program over three years. So today we are talking specifically about round one of that program. And for round one, we have up to 8.64 million available to give out as grants. Applications for round one did open in early March on the 4th of March.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  8:37.94
and they will close on the 3rd of September this year, or when funds are for round one are fully exhausted. So it will be whichever comes first, either the timeframe of 3rd of September or when all the funds have been expended for round one.

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Amanda ANDONOVSKI
So, but they're open and this means you can apply now. The Grants are being administered on behalf of the Department of Climate Change by the Business Grants Hub and applications are to be submitted via

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  9:17.78
the business.gov.au portal, not the DCCEEW website or Grant Connect. So they need to be submitted via business.gov.au portal. And sorry, I should just say that the Business Grants Hub is actually a part of the Department of Industry, the Federal Department of Industry.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  9:40.58
If you search for the First Nations Clean Energy Program website, you will also find some information there on the DCCEEW Grants, which has links. Or you can contact the Business Grants Hub in the Department of Industry if you're not able to find that information. And we will provide

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The Business Grants Hub's contact details later in this presentation.

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In terms of the grant value, you can apply for a minimum of $5,000 right through to up to a maximum of $80,000 per grant. Now projects to be funded by the grants must run for at least

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  10:23.10
two months and can run for up to 12 months. And all grant funded activities do need to be completed by the 31st of March 2028.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  10:34.78
Next slide, please, Addy. So, who can apply?

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  10:40.60
To be eligible, we are looking to provide funds to First Nations organisations or groups. And you do also need to have an Australian business number. These are the two key requirements. Now, we're keen to get the grants out there. And so for those organisations or groups that do not have an Australian business number,

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  11:4.78
you can work with another First Nations organisation that can auspice, we call it, or sponsor your application for the grants for round one. So this basically means that you would be partnering with a First Nations organisation or group and they would apply for the grant funding on your behalf if you don't have your own Australian business number.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  11:26.86
And if your grant application is successful, then your sponsor will sign the grant agreement with the Department of Industry Business Grants Hub.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  11:40.60
So the organisation that is going to auspice though must meet the eligibility requirements and hold an Australian business number on your behalf. We do have quite a bit more information about auspicing in the grant opportunity guidelines and there's some specific sections which we will share with you.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  12:1.90
following the webinar. And you can also contact again the Business Grant Hub and they can direct you as needed.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  12:11.82
So a few more details on eligibility. So eligible organisations also need to be, in addition to being a First Nations organisation or group and having an Australian business number and or an auspicing partner that has an Australian business number,

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  12:31.50
does need to be an incorporated organisation, including, this does include corporations registered on the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations, can be land councils or organisations that manage land rights, native title,

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  12:49.98
Or traditional owner agreements.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  12:53.90
They could be incorporated, not-for-profit associations or cooperatives, an incorporated trustee applying on behalf of a trust or a partnership based in Australia. And if you are unsure of whether your organisation is eligible and qualifies,

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  13:13.60
then please again, there's some detailed information in the Grant Opportunity Guidelines and the Business Grants Hub is also available to answer any questions within the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. There is some documentation that's required to support evidence of this eligibility.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  13:33.42
And in line with sort of Lou's comments about, you know, wanting to make these grants as accessible as possible, the documentation that is required is a self-declaration, and that is in the grant application form online. And you'll basically need to tick a box

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  13:53.42
that confirms that you are legally declaring that you're a First Nations organisation or group. And you also need to provide your Australian business number and type of entity into the application form. And then the Business Grants Hub will use this information

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  14:12.22
to verify that you are a First Nations organisation or group for this program via various register checks. And look, there are some entity types that may need to provide documentation, and I think we will touch on this just a bit later in the presentation, but it is also in the guidelines as well.

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for you to check too.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  14:36.54
Okay.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  14:41.26
So for this particular grant round one, there are some sort of organisations or groups that may not be eligible. And I think the main thing to remember here is that applications must come from eligible First Nations organisations.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  15:2.22
Other groups that won't be eligible for this round one include individuals, non First Nations organisations, government bodies at any level, except for land councils and unincorporated associations. Organisations also can't apply.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  15:22.70
if they're insolvent or bankrupt, or if they're listed on the National Redress Scheme, apologies, as not having joined or committed to the scheme. And for larger employees, so those with 100 or more employees, must be compliant with the workplace.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  15:41.22
Gender Equality Act as well. And so we do strongly encourage all applicants or potential applicants to look through the grant opportunity guidelines to check the sort of who is not eligible section and that does detail the information that you need to be aware of before applying.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  16:5.82
Okay, so what can you use the grant for? So to be eligible, your project that you're looking to fund through the grant must aim to build capacity, capability and confidence so that First Nations community can engage in clean energy opportunities.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  16:28.34
And so this includes things like learning and building knowledge, for example, clean energy training workshops or information sessions for your community. The funding can also be used to get professional and expert advice as well. And that might be things like legal advice, governance support,

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  16:48.70
financial or commercial advice or feasibility studies to help you understand whether a clean energy opportunity is right for you. You can also use funding for planning and preparation, such as business planning, for governance models, mapping or surveying, or support to negotiate with

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  17:8.54
Clean Energy developers as well. But just yeah, a reminder that there is a 12 month sort of duration and the activities must be completed within 12 months or before the 31st of March 2028, whichever is soonest.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  17:31.74
Next slide, please, Addy.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  17:34.70
Okay.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  17:37.90
So there are some items that the grant funding cannot be used for, and we do have a detailed list in the grant guidelines, so you don't need to sort of worry about writing this down or screenshotting it. But basically, some of the things to note about this list is

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  17:56.70
that you're not able to pay for your organisation's incorporation costs. It must be incorporated when you apply. You're not able to pay for existing staff. It's only for new staff. And you're not able to pay for anything covered by another grant. So just avoiding...

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  18:16.38
sort of, I suppose, double dipping for lack of a better word. And again, as I said, this information is all detailed in the grant guidelines and we'll also send through some further information following the webinar as well.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  18:34.20 
Yeah.

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One year.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  18:37.26
Okay.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  18:38.86
Okay, so in terms of how to apply, so first of all, we recommend that you create an account in Grant Connect, and you'll see the website just there, www.grants.gov.au. And through Grants Connect, you'll be able to have a look at the grant opportunity guidelines, and there'll also be a range of supporting

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  19:2.20
documents there for you to read as well. And you'll be able to also, for those that you haven't already, set up notifications to receive information about other grant opportunities that you may be interested in. You can find the link to this grant Advice Program

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  19:20.86
by selecting grant opportunities and then current opportunities and then searching for the reference just up on the slide here, GO8139, all for First Nations Clean Energy Advice Grants in the keywords field. You will also...

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  19:39.98
If you're interested in applying, you will also need to create an account with the business.gov.au website. So the same information will be available there, the grant guidelines and all supporting documentation. But you will use this portal to apply for the Advice Grants.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  19:59.90
And that is listed here: business.gov.au/grants, etc.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  20:5.18
But just a reminder to please read the grant opportunity guidelines and the supporting documents and the information that we share sort of following this webinar to really understand the eligibility requirements and to check that you have all relevant attachments ready to go.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  20:24.60
for your application. And also once you've submitted your application, if it's successful, you should receive a confirmation email. I think usually it's sent 30 minutes now after submitting. And if you haven't received it though after 24 hours, and we'd recommend following up with the Business Grants Hub.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  20:44.14
to ensure that they've received it.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  20:47.74
And also just a reminder to save your application frequently because it may time out after 15 minutes, we understand.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  20:56.30
So in terms of supporting attachments, there are a range of documents that you might need to provide, and it really depends on the complexity of your application and the grant and the value that, you know, you're looking to apply for, just noting that range between 5 to $80,000 for this grant round.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  21:17.18
So the grant guidelines do go into detail about the supporting attachments that we need submitted with the grant applications, but just as some examples to highlight for you, you know, quotes will be needed, for example, and relevant documents.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  21:36.60
for expenditure or eligible expenditure where total expenditure exceeds $40,000, for example. Or if you're applying for an auspicing arrangement because you don't have an Australian business number, then you must include a declaration from the

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  21:55.14
auspiced First Nations organisation or group, and you need to confirm that they have traditional ownership, recognised native title or other First Nations rights and interests, have an opportunity to participate in clean energy development and are being auspiced to only once under this grant round one.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  22:16.22
and some further details about the auspicing arrangement. If you're applying as an incorporated not-for-profit organisation without an active state or Territory Incorporated Association registration, apologies, or an ACNC registration,

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  22:35.50
then you'll need to submit constitutional documents or articles of association demonstrating the character organisation. And also, you know, a trust deed if that's the type of arrangement that you're or organisation that you're all applying under.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  22:54.54
So just ensuring that you look thoroughly through the grant guidelines and ensure that you've got the information that is listed in there because we want to support as many grants as we can with that funding amount that we have.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  23:12.60
Okay, next slide. So in terms of time frames, as I mentioned, round one will close on the 3rd of September, but to reiterate, it may be earlier than that when the funds for round one have been exhausted. So it will be whichever comes first. So we do strongly encourage

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  23:30.94
applicants to submit as soon as you can to avoid missing out on funding through round one. And once an application is submitted, it will move through a number of stages and there is a bit of a timeframe table in the grant guidelines as well that you can refer back to.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  23:50.18
But basically, after receiving the application, Business Grants Hub will assess the applications, and that might take around four weeks. And then there'll be an approval and announcement of successful applicant stage, and then a grant agreement negotiation and execution where

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  24:10.54
both the grantee and business Grants Hub have signed the grant agreement. And there will also be a stage where unsuccessful applicants are notified as well. But again, a reminder that all funded grant projects do need to be completed by the 31st of March.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  24:30.46
2028.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  24:36.60
It.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  24:38.38
Thanks, Addy. In terms of how grants are assessed, they are demand driven and so they will be assessed and awarded in the order that they are received until the funding is fully allocated. Now,

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  24:56.70
The Business Grants Hub will check that each application meets the eligibility requirements. And if it does, and that there still is funding available, then it can be supported. But because funding is limited, as I said, it may, the round may close earlier. So just please keep that in mind. We can't stress that enough.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  25:21.42
And yeah, if you are successful, apologies, you'll be advised of the outcome of your application in writing and the Business Grants Hub will advise you of any specific conditions attached to the grant as well.

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  25:38.54
Next slide, please. And almost there. OK, so that brings us to our questions, question and answer session. And I will be handing over to my colleague, acting director Teena Riley. And just to note, though, before we do that, we will stop the recording so we won't

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  25:57.46
be recording the question and answer session, but we will be making this information available along with these FAQs on this website here, our DCCEEW website. And as emphasized earlier, please get in touch with the Business Grants Hub if you do have any questions about your application or any issues, and these are their contact details and we'll

Amanda ANDONOVSKI  26:21.34
provide those again for you and they're also in the grant opportunity guidelines. So thank you very much and handing over to Teena now.