Councils have been told by Helen Haines that they should be leading the way when it comes to driving policy and change on renewable energy.
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The Indi MP was one of the speakers at this week's Cities Power Partnership clean jobs summit, held online.
"Renewables should be built, and quickly, but they work best when they involve the local community and deliver lasting benefits," she said.
"This year has given us an opportunity like never before to shape the future that we want, so we need to get vocal and we need to get local because this is our chance."
The jobs summit, attended virtually by more than 600 people, attempted to "define opportunities for local government to create thousands of jobs and generate investment to local regions".
Dr Haines said community energy, where people generate and share their own solar or wind power, provided an opportunity for partnerships between commercial groups and councils.
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"For regional Australia, there is a huge transition happening - a multi-decade wave of investment that's just starting to break," she said.
"The research shows us that when local people are directly involved in the development or ownership of renewable energy projects, it's a win-win."
Ideas for the government from the MP's recent public consultation on renewable energy included a 10-year investment stream, instead of ad hoc grants, and underwriting current investments, which can be run by councils and community groups.
"We all know that there's a political debate in Australia about the future of our energy system, but if you follow the engineering, there's really only a question of pace, not direction," Dr Haines said.
"Australia's future will be renewable."
