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Community wellbeing and attitudes to energy transition in the North Perth Basin

The Curtin Institute for Energy Transition led this this research from November 2024 to July 2025, with Federal Government funding provided through CSIRO’s Gas Industry Social & Environment Research Alliance (GISERA) project.

HomeResearch at CurtinCurtin Institute for Energy TransitionCommunity wellbeing and attitudes to energy transition in the North Perth Basin

This project gather insights from a cross-section of the general public and community leaders in Western Australia (WA)’s Mid West region about local perceptions on energy developments in the region to help inform future project planning.

Commissioned by the CSIRO Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance (GISERA), CIET researchers have completed a study into how energy infrastructure projects, including conventional gas, large-scale renewables, and other energy projects might impact or benefit the wellbeing of local communities in WA. Researchers carried out surveys, focus groups and interviews across the towns of Geraldton, Dongara, Eneabba, Three Springs and Mingenew.

Report

This research provides an in-depth understanding of how communities in Mid West WA perceive some of the large-scale projects that are planned in the region as part of Australia’s energy transition.

Final report

Final report

Authors: Dr Maureen Boyle, Associate Professor Raquel Tardin-Coelho, Dr Lydia Maketo, Dr Emma D’Antoine, Dr Hannah Velure Uren, Associate Professor Andrew Knight, Professor Peta Ashworth.

Appendices

Appendices

These appendices includes survey questions, descriptive statistics, focus group questions, interview questions, focus group thematic coding analysis and the Yamatji Southern Region Corporation Indigenous land use map.

Fact sheets

The Mid West region of Western Australia (WA) is currently host to several exploration licences for natural gas and geothermal resources along with prospective wind and large-scale solar developments. In this context of increasing energy developments in the region, this research provides a baseline understanding of community wellbeing and perceptions of energy developments, particularly gas, in the communities of the North Perth Basin located in the Mid West region of WA.

Fact sheet: Dongara

Fact sheet: Dongara

Authors: Dr Maureen Boyle, Associate Professor Raquel Tardin-Coelho, Dr Lydia Maketo, Dr Emma D’Antoine, Dr Hannah Velure Uren, Associate Professor Andrew Knight, Professor Peta Ashworth

Produced by Elena Perse for the Curtin Institute for Energy Transition (October 2025)

Fact sheet: Eneabba, Mingenew and Three Springs

Fact sheet: Eneabba, Mingenew and Three Springs

Authors: Dr Maureen Boyle, Associate Professor Raquel Tardin-Coelho, Dr Lydia Maketo, Dr Emma D’Antoine, Dr Hannah Velure Uren, Associate Professor Andrew Knight, Professor Peta Ashworth

Produced by Elena Perse for the Curtin Institute for Energy Transition (October 2025)

Fact sheet: Geraldton

Fact sheet: Geraldton

Authors: Dr Maureen Boyle, Associate Professor Raquel Tardin-Coelho, Dr Lydia Maketo, Dr Emma D’Antoine, Dr Hannah Velure Uren, Associate Professor Andrew Knight, Professor Peta Ashworth

Produced by Elena Perse for the Curtin Institute for Energy Transition (October 2025)

Fact sheet: Yamatji

Fact sheet: Yamatji

Authors: Associate Professor Raquel Tardin-Coelho, Associate Professor Andrew Knight

Produced by Elena Perse for the Curtin Institute for Energy Transition (October 2025)