As part of the drive to reach net zero by 2050 and in the lead up to the state election, the Victorian Government has announced plans to legislate the largest renewable energy storage targets in Australia: 2.6 GW by 2030, increasing to 6.3GW by 2035. Read more

The Western Australian Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) have released further detail relating to the timing and content of the third stage of significant reforms to the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (WA) (EP Act), relating to Part V, Division 3. The recently released “Discussion paper: Environmental regulation reform” (Discussion Paper) available here sets … Read more

Australia is set for new climate legislation after Parliament passed the Climate Change Bill 2022 and the Climate Change (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022 (together, the Climate Bills). The Climate Bills will come into force following royal assent. Read more

The NSW Government has finalised the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan and announced the establishment of a Biodiversity Credits Supply Fund and Taskforce. These initiatives seek to simplify the biodiversity assessment process for parts of Western Sydney and fast track the acquisition of biodiversity credits throughout NSW while improving conservation outcomes. Read more

On 29 August 2022, the independent expert panel (Review Panel) who is reviewing the integrity of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) under the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) began seeking submissions from a diverse range of stakeholders. The Review Panel is seeking feedback on the integrity of ACCUs and the broader impacts of activities incentivised under the ACCU scheme framework. Read more

The Federal Government has announced the creation of the BCS which, according to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, will be the start of a “nationwide restoration” of Australia’s environment. The BCS will be designed to grant tradeable biodiversity certificates to landholders who restore or manage local habitat. The market will be open to all landholders, including first nations people and conservation groups. Read more

By Melanie Debenham Episode 19 – Recycle, Recovery and Reduce with Neometals Melanie Debenham is joined by Anél Joubert, ESG Manager and Jeremy McManus, GM Commercial and Investor Relations from Neometals, an emerging and sustainable producer of battery minerals. Anél and Jeremy discuss the prominence of ESG in their own roles and across Neometals’ markets … Read more

Government has announced that it will review the operation of the Safeguard Mechanism with a view to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from Australia’s highest emitting facilities. Comments on the discussion paper are due by 20 September 2022, with key issues in the discussion paper being calculation of baselines, the use of crediting mechanisms. Read more