The plan identifies 18 key outcomes across 3 focus areas that Victoria will need to achieve in order to develop a thriving renewable hydrogen economy. Read more

Victoria joins New South Wales and Queensland in decentralising the path towards “Net Zero”, setting out a roadmap for development of its renewable energy zones (REZ), including the establishment of VicGrid to oversee planning and development, and allocating a $540 million REZ Fund in the State Budget. Read more

The Commonwealth Government has introduced the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Standards and Assurance) Bill 2021 (Bill) to establish a framework for making National Environmental Standards (NES) and establishing an Environment Assurance Commissioner (Commissioner). Read more

Professor Graeme Samuels has released the Final Report on the Independent Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) (EPBC Act), finding that Australia’s ‘current environmental trajectory is unsustainable’ and that the ‘EPBC Act is ineffective’. The Final Report proposes wide-ranging reforms, including the introduction of legally enforceable National Environmental Standards (NES), … Read more

On 2 February 2021, President Kingham made orders reducing a mining company’s estimated rehabilitation cost (ERC) by $46 million, after determining that the Department of Environment and Science (DES) ERC calculator is not binding. Read more

In a recent test case involving Ararat Wind Farm, the Supreme Court of Victoria held that above-ground wind farm assets were chattels and therefore excluded from the capital improved value of leviable land for the Victorian Fire Services Levy. Read more

The Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Bill 2020 has been introduced into the Commonwealth Parliament to create a national register of industrial chemicals and make recommendations as to their risk management. Read more

On 14 December 2020, the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources released the consultation paper, "Enhancing Australia's Decommissioning Framework". The paper is the third step in a reform process and follows a Discussion Paper published in October 2018, a process of consultation and stakeholder formal submissions into early 2019. Implementation of the framework is expected to occur in 2021. We have outlined the key components of the proposed Enhanced Framework. Read more