The first significant plank of the federal government’s Nature Positive Plan has been unveiled. The Nature Repair Market Bill 2023 was introduced by Minister Plibersek into the Commonwealth Parliament on 29 March 2023. This HSF Note offers an overview of the proposed biodiversity market, and how it is intended to operate to arrest species decline … Read more

Following a public consultation period, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has finalised its greenhouse gas assessment guidance and has yesterday published the revised Environmental Factor Guideline - Greenhouse Gas Emissions (EFG GHG). Read more

The Safeguard Mechanism (Crediting) Amendment Bill 2023 was passed by the Australian Parliament on 30 March 2023.  The Bill was primarily introduced to enable the crediting element of the reform, however the changes negotiated with the Australian Greens Party are not limited to crediting and will extend beyond amendments to the Bill itself. We explore key aspects of the Bill and our current understanding of the other agreed amendments to the Safeguard Mechanism Reforms. Read more

The Environmental Protection and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 (Qld) (EPOLA Bill) was passed yesterday. The EPOLA Bill amends the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld) with wide ranging implications for Queensland operators, in particular for the resources sector. It also makes minor amendments to the Waste Reduction and recycling Act 2011 (Qld) and the Wet Tropics World Heritage Protection and Management Act 1993 (Qld). Read more

The NSW election on 25 March has resulted in a change of government. A Chris Minns-led Labor team will form a government with an interim Ministry sworn in on Tuesday, 28 March 2023. While we wait for the final counts to come in, we look at what the change of government might mean for energy, climate change and the environment in NSW. Read more

On 4 March 2023, the UN Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (Conference) reached agreement on the text of a new treaty which seeks to protect the marine environment. The Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological … Read more

The NSW Minister for Energy has declared a Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) in the Illawarra region. Following a draft exhibition of the declaration in late 2022, this marks the first key step in establishing the Illawarra REZ under the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Act 2020. Read more

The Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water announced yesterday that it is seeking public feedback on the possible effects of renewable energy projects off the NSW Hunter coast. This announcement follows last year’s declaration of part of Bass Strait off Victoria’s Gippsland coast as Australia’s first offshore renewable energy infrastructure zone. Read more