18/06/2026
💡 Reflecting on a week of learning, our energy lead Saideh Kent shares how she is reminded of the critical role that trust and relationships play in driving meaningful change.
At the Place Australia Conference in Brisbane this week, more than 300 people from diverse communities and contexts came together to explore the elements of place-based change.
“Despite the differences in settings, a consistent theme emerged: communities achieving lasting impact are those that build trust and collaboration across diverse relationships,” says Saideh.
She noted the message was also reinforced in the Regional Australia Institute’s recent Collective Governance Discussion Paper, presented in a webinar last week.
The paper explores how multiple stakeholders come together to make shared decisions. It emphasises the importance of building trust and lasting relationships, through a shared understanding and commitment to a process that builds on small wins to achieve strategic goals.
“This is a timely paper on collective governance, as many regions consider different governance models to manage renewable energy community benefit funds,” says Saideh.
“Different communities begin the energy transition with different levels of trust or strong relationships. Our work with councils in Hay and Uralla shows that a shared process can build trust, strengthen collaboration and support action toward common goals.”
