First Nations Clean Energy Network

To celebrate turning 1.66 years old (the blog, not the authors. That would be weird), we're hosting an energy-themed trivia event in Melbourne. It's on Wednesday 23 October 6:30 pm (the first day of the All Energy conference) at the State of Grace hotel (a short walk across the river from the conference). Tickets are $25 and we're raising money to support the First Nations Clean Energy Network. Hit the link to purchase tickets: https://lnkd.in/gQ8srGTy What kind of questions can you expect? Here's a non-NEM teaser: Match the (approximate) peak demand to the American grid. A. CAISO B. ERCOT C. ISO New England D. PJM Interconnection 1. 25 GW 2. 45 GW 3. 85 GW 4. 165 GW

13 September is the anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The Declaration is the most comprehensive international instrument on the rights of Indigenous peoples. It establishes a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the Indigenous peoples of the world. It elaborates on existing human rights standards and fundamental freedoms as they apply to the specific situation of Indigenous peoples including colonisation, dispossession and denial of cultural practices. Indigenous peoples around the world, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, were involved in its drafting. In 2007, a majority of 143 states voted in favour with 4 votes against (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States) and 11 abstentions. Australia later endorsed UNDRIP in 2009 but there has been no implementation of Declaration principles in Australian law or policies. First Nations people in Australia are more likely to die younger than non-Indigenous Australians, face systemic racism and a higher rate of incarceration, and right now First Nations children are 10.5 times more likely be in out-of-home care than non-Indigenous children. Australia must take steps to finally implement UNDRIP into domestic law and policy making to strengthen and protect the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Read more via ANTAR: https://lnkd.in/guh8mTBF #UNDRIP2024 #Reconciliation

Colin is one of the last speakers of his language, Ngarluma. It is a language that was spoken for tens of thousands of years here on Country. And in only a few decades, just a handful of speakers remain. Despite being one of the keepers of an ancient culture and language, every day is a struggle for old fella. “I have no real home. Always relying on my daughter. No motorcar. Have to hitchhike everywhere. Can’t afford all those things we need…you know…toilet paper, a feed, pay bills so I can have a fan in summer” he said earlier this year When I spoke with Colin, we were sitting on the street in Ieramugadu, I had some papers in my bag from an earlier meeting showing the statistics for Roebourne. Colin and I looked at the papers and it showed that Colin, and his fellow Elders, are in the highest social and economic disadvantage bracket in Australia. We chatted about what that means in real terms. Simply; it means life is really damn hard. Now get this. Colin, and his fellow Elders, speak for an area of Country where there is about $30 billion of economic output per year. Read that sentence again. Now read it again. That means some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people in Australia are living in an area with the HIGHEST economic output in the nation. You know what Colin said? “I don’t want to be rich. That’s not our culture. But when they took our people off Country. Tried to stop our language. They left us with nothing. I don’t want to worry all the time. Don’t want my grandchildren to always worry. They always worry. Can we pay a bill? Do we have gurna-maya [toilet] paper. Have we got a feed tonight? Why we always have to worry?” He said And Colin wants people to know his story. I’ve listened to Colin. His fellow Elders. Ngarluma. Yindjibarndi. Kuruma. Marthudhunera. Many language groups. The situation is unacceptable. A very wise man, Peter Yu, described this to me earlier this year as ‘economic apartheid’. So what’s the solution? It’s complex, but there’s one very simple principle that must be followed. The solutions MUST be designed by the Colins of the world. And sufficiently resourced so they’re set up to succeed. Economic self-determination. Organisations like Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Foundation Ltd (NYFL), the PBCs, and others, do amazing things to support, but it’s a battle. You know what Colin said when I asked if he needed a ride back home after our yarn on the street? He responded in Ngarluma, which I quickly jotted down: “Ngayi mirda burlbi ngaburaru. Ngayi burlbi nyarni wagayi.” Which means, I’m not in a hurry; I’m going to walk slowly-slowly. Take my time. If action isn’t taken to address the extreme disadvantage for the Colins of the world, we may never hear such sentences uttered on land where it has been spoken since time immemorial. And we will all be worse for it. 📸 Colin and I earlier this year (yep, there’s a fly on my face) 📍 Ieramugadu, Ngarluma Ngurra, the Pilbara, Western Australia

🎤 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮-𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝘆𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 & 𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆? Join our Co-Founder & Principal Rebecca (Bec) Halliday for a fireside chat about First Nations Clean Energy Networks at 3:30pm, where she will join Fiona Simon from the Australian Hydrogen Council to discuss our work with the First Nations Clean Energy Network's Hydrogen Headstart Program. #APACHYDROGEN2024 #FirstNations #Hydrogen #CleanEnergy #AsiaPacific #GIRAAdvisory RenewEconomy