Carbon projects support 550 jobs in the north
Carbon projects across Northern Australia generate about $60 million in direct annual revenue, produce around 1.4 million Australian Carbon Credit Units each year and support about 550 jobs.
Corporate Carbon Group included those figures in its submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia Inquiry into Preparing for Emerging Industries across Northern Australia.
That submission estimates the industry’s total economic contribution at about $150 million a year across northern regional economies.
Leaders from government, industry and Indigenous organisations are due to gather in Alice Springs for the Developing Northern Australia Conference from 5th August to 7th August 2026.
Ahead of the event, Corporate Carbon Group called for carbon to gain wider recognition as one of Northern Australia’s emerging economic industries.
Across the Northern Territory and the tropical regions of Queensland and Western Australia, high-integrity carbon projects already back long-term regional jobs and attract investment into remote communities.
Those projects also support Indigenous-led stewardship of Country and deliver measurable environmental outcomes.
ICIN savanna fire projects
At the conference, the Indigenous Carbon Industry Network will showcase savanna fire management projects from remote areas of the Top End, the Kimberley and Cape York.
Those projects create jobs on Country, build independent revenue streams and improve land management outcomes for remote communities.
The work spans vast savannas, pastoral landscapes and remote communities across Northern Australia.
Jobs linked to the sector include Indigenous ranger programmes, aerial burning operations, monitoring, reporting and governance activities.
Corporate Carbon Group plans to use the Alice Springs conference to press the case that Indigenous-led carbon projects now deliver major benefits for climate, country and community.
Marc Train, chief executive officer of Corporate Carbon Group, said: “For decades, Northern Australia has built prosperity around its natural strengths in agriculture, resources and energy. Carbon now sits in that conversation.”
Train argued that carbon should not be viewed only through an environmental lens because the industry is already generating skilled work and investment in remote regions.
The company says Indigenous-led carbon and savanna fire management projects show why carbon should be treated as a major regional industry, not just a policy tool.
Meanwhile, the conference spotlight on Indigenous-led projects comes as northern communities seek long-term economic opportunities that also strengthen local land management.
