The Future Made in Australia (FMIA) policy offers a landmark opportunity to deliver lasting benefits for communities across the country. With $22.7 billion committed under the policy over the next decade, it is pivotal that this public investment (and the private investment it generates) leads to strong returns and stronger communities.
The Community Benefit Principles (CBPs) legislated under the objects of the Future Made in Australia Act 2024 (‘FMIA Act’) are central to the operation of the FMIA Act as intended by Parliament. The FMIA Act states that the CBPs must be considered by decision-makers in determining whether to provide FMIA support. Given that FMIA support has already begun to flow, there is an urgent need to develop clear Ministerial rules and policies for applying the CBPs to the provision of FMIA support.
We've jointly prepared this policy brief with Community Power Agency to guide the development of these Ministerial rules and policies relating to the CBPs. It builds on the themes set out in our earlier Consultation Guidance Paper, which was developed to inform the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR)’s design of the consultation process for the FMIA CBPs.
In a process facilitated by the Community Power Agency, feedback from a group of stakeholders (one of which was RE-Alliance) was collected through multiple rounds of engagement – including an online survey, group workshop and peer review process – to shape the content of this paper.