Natasha Larkin

Research

PhD title: Renewable energy workers in regional Australia: A qualitative study of the Illawarra

My research is concerned with how decarbonisation impacts on work in regional Australia, with a focus on the Illawarra. As one of the key regions that is being positioned for large-scale infrastructure and investment in offshore wind energy generation and hydrogen, I am interested in whether the promise of local jobs is likely to be realised. I am also interested in the conditions of work in the different renewable energy sectors in the region (such as solar, offshore wind and hydrogen) and how these conditions impact on workers, their households and the broader community.  As Australia pursues a more ambitious agenda to address climate change, these questions are central to understanding the barriers in the labour market and the lived experiences of regional communities. My research is funded by the DECRA grant held by Dr Chantel Carr.   

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Arts, University of Western Australia (2000)
• Bachelor of Law, University of Western Australia (2000)
• Admitted as a solicitor to the High Court and Supreme Court of Western Australia (2001) and Supreme Court of Victoria (2003)
• Masters in Philosophy (Education), University of Wollongong (2022)

Publications

Larkin N, Carr C and Klocker N (2024) Building an offshore wind sector in Australia: Economic opportunities and constraints at the regional scale. Australian Geographer 55(1): 45-68.

Carr C and Larkin N (2024) Industrial landscapes: From the geographies of production to everyday life. In SM Hall and J Johns (Eds) Contemporary Economic Geographies: Inspiring, Critical and Plural Perspectives. Bristol: Bristol University Press.

Larkin N, Wright J & O’Flynn G. (2022): A pedagogical examination of the potential of Iyengar yoga for trauma, Sport, Education and Society, DOI: 10.1080/13573322.2022.2131762

Research funding

Australian Research Council Discovery Project