Environment law and policy tracker

Tuesday, 07 June 2016 12:06pm

Law and policy changes in all jurisdictions, and a roundup of jobs, grants, awards and seminars. Includes election commitments by the Coalition, Labor, the Greens and the Nick Xenophon team.

• Upcoming events
• Jurisdictional round-up (national, states and territories)
• Jobs and appointments
• Election commitments tracker

** Featured vacancies ** Lendlease is seeking a Melbourne-based EHS advisor to work with its retail and retirement living assets.

Upcoming events:

• US climate policy: What happens when Obama's gone? A June 8 evening seminar featuring Elliot Diringer of the US Centre for Climate and Energy Solutions, hosted by the ANU Climate Change Institute.
• Climate adaptation in Australia: successes, failures and some lessons learnt A June 8 lunchtime seminar featuring Professor Mark Howden of the ANU Climate Change Institute.
• EPBC Act condition-setting and advanced environmental offsets A June 14 evening seminar in Canberra, hosted by EIANZ.
• Power from the ocean – untapped potential A June 16 Institute of Engineers evening seminar in Melbourne, featuring Timothy Finnigan of wave energy company BioPower.
• Environment and carbon conference for business A June 17 conference in Melbourne, hosted by the Australian Environment Business Network.
• International climate policy to make the Paris Agreement a success Seminars in Canberra (June 15) and Melbourne (June 17) featuring Ottmar Edenhofer,  deputy director and chief economist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
• Global water challenges and opportunities A June 17 conference in Perth, hosted by the Australian Water Association.
• Contaminated land seminar A June 22 conference in Sydney, hosted by the Australian Sustainable Business Group. How to prepare a best-practice sustainability report A June 22 and 23 seminar in Melbourne, hosted by the Australian Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility.
• Climate policy: Has Labor got it right this time around? A June 27 evening seminar in Melbourne, hosted by the Grattan Institute, and featuring Labor's Mark Butler, Peter Castellas of the Carbon Markets Institute and Elisa de Wit of Norton Rose Fulbright.

For other events, including a water conference in the ACT, see the extensive Footprint what's on listings.

National:

• The Federal Government has told an international forum its annual spending on clean energy R&D will rise to $208 million by 2020 (related article for subscribers only).
• The Federal Government has commissioned the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia to develop a plan to speed the deployment of LED public lighting by councils (related article for subscribers only).
• The Clean Energy Council has released a report on progress and status of the Renewable Energy Target.
• Comment closes on June 10 on the third consultation paper on proposed changes to industrial chemical assessment procedures administered by NICNAS (related article for subscribers only).

Queensland:

• Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has launched a biofutures roadmap designed to position the state as an Asia-Pacific hub for investment in biofuels, bioplastics and biochemicals (related article for subscribers only)
• The Palaszczuk Government has committed to providing long-term financial support for up to 120MW of large-scale solar generation, up from a commitment of 60MW, made last August.
• In a move welcomed by the State Government, which is considering a container deposit scheme aligned with the proposed NSW scheme, the LNP has backed the introduction of a container deposit scheme in Queensland (related article for subscribers only).
• Comment closes on June 27 on a draft revised code for the transport of regulated waste.
• Award nominations invited: The Queensland Government has invited nominations for the 2016 Premier's sustainability awards, with applications closing on July 15.

NSW:

• The EPA has released the second interim report by Professor Mark Taylor on the agency's response to PFOS contamination at Williamtown RAAF base, which is part of a larger review of its management of contaminated sites.
• The Department of Planning and Environment has issued its latest monthly report on compliance activities.
• NSW now has a new legislative regime to protect coastal areas and regulate development, with the Legislative Assembly passing the Coastal Management Bill without amendment (related article for subscribers only).
• The director of a deregistered drum cleaning company has been found guilty of three charges that each carry a maximum penalty of $250,000 (related article for subscribers only)).
• Comments on the draft Biodiversity Conservation Bill are due by June 28.
• Grant opportunity: The NSW Government is inviting grant applications for new rounds under two waste schemes, with applications closing on June 27. The resource recovery facility expansion and enhancement program offers grants of between $100,000 and $1 million, while the innovation in priority problem wastes program offers grants of up to $1 million for infrastructure projects and up to $200,000 for R&D projects.
• Grant opportunity: The Environmental Trust has also opened round four of the Love Food, Hate Waste Grants Program, with applications due by June 14.
• Award nominations invited: Applications close on July 11 for the NSW Green Globe awards.

ACT:

• The ACT Government has established an online register of contaminated sites, which lists properties for which the EPA has issued orders or requested a contaminated land audit.
• The ACT Government's Construction, Environment and Workplace Protection Division has completed an audit of building assessors to ensure compliance with their obligations to submit energy efficiency ratings of homes.
• The ACT Government has issued the Energy Efficiency (Cost of Living) Improvement (Priority Household Target) Determination 2016, which sets a priority household target for the Territory's energy efficiency scheme.
• Grant opportunity: Environment and Climate Change Minister Simon Corbell has invited applications by June 27 for ACT environment grants, with funding of up to $50,000 available.
• Grant opportunity: Applications close on July 6 for grants totalling up to $2 million that will be distributed to companies installing energy storage batteries in the ACT.

Victoria:

• Industry Minister Wade Noonan has confirmed that a moratorium on new exploration licences for onshore gas and on approvals for fracking will remain in place until August, when the Government will respond to the findings of a parliamentary inquiry report on unconventional gas.
• EPA Victoria has issued new guidance for planners on assessing the risks of siting developments near landfills (related article for subscribers only).
• The State Government has introduced a National Parks and Victorian Environmental Assessment Council Acts Amendment Bill 2016 that broadens the advisory role of the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council.
• The Essential Services Commission has released a position paper as part of its review of water pricing.
• Grant opportunity: Sustainability Victoria is offering resource assessment grants to cover 50% of the cost of a resource assessment of their operations. Grants are capped at $10,000 for a combined materials and energy assessment, with a $3,000 implementation bonus also available. Applications must be submitted by August 5.
• Award nominations invited: Nominations close on June 27 for the Premier's sustainability awards.

South Australia:

• Parliament's joint committee inquiry into the findings of the Royal Commission into the nuclear fuel cycle has held its first public hearing and submissions to the inquiry close on July 1.

Western Australia:

• Submissions on BHP Billiton's strategic proposal for its operations in the Pilbara for the next 50 to 100 years are due by June 13 (related article for subscribers only)).

Northern Territory:

• Grant opportunity: The EPA has invited applications for its 2016-17 environment grants program.

Jobs and appointments:

• The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) is seeking a Sydney-based research associate.
• Arrium is seeking a Melbourne-based environmental engineer/officer to work at its Laverton steel mill. Wise Recruitment is recruiting on behalf of a wastewater company for a Sydney-based project manager.
• The South Australian EPA has a 10-month vacancy for a contaminated sites adviser.

ELECTION COMMITMENTS:

Coalition:

• The Coalition would ban the sale of cosmetic products tested on animals either in Australia or overseas.
• The Coalition would establish a $5 million threatened species recovery fund to support community projects to protect endangered species, and has nominated nine initial projects for funding.
• The Coalition would amend the Fisheries Management Act 1991 to ensure the Australian Fisheries Management Authority "takes into account the interests of all fisheries users – commercial, recreational and indigenous fishers".
• The Coalition would amend legislation to increase the size of a number of management advisory committees for specific fisheries to enable the appointment of a recreational fishing sector representative, and move to have recreational fishing sector representatives appointed to Resource Assessment Groups.
• The Coalition would establish a $30 million parks and environment funding package, comprising $24 million for projects to improve local parks, $5 million for a solar communities program and $1 million to provide surf clubs with cleaner outboard motors.
• The Coalition would allocate $6 million for a second crown-of-thorns control vessel on the Great Barrier Reef, as part of its $210 million Reef Trust.
• The Coalition would invest $150 million to fast-track the assessment and construction of water infrastructure across Queensland.
• Existing Coalition Government environment and climate initiatives are outlined in a Plan for a cleaner environment publication issued just before the election was called.

Labor:

• Labor would provide $98.7 milllion over four years to establish up to 10 community power hubs to kick-start clean energy projects, including more than $16 million annually for grants.
• Labor would provide new funding of $377 million in addition to the Coalition's $123 million, creating a $500 million five-year fund for the Great Barrier Reef that will direct up to $300 million for "direct environmental investment", with the remainder going to research and reef management.
• Labor would invest $4 million to fund a water infrastructure feasibility study for Townsville, examining options including raising the wall of the existing Burdekin Dam.
• Labor released its climate change action plan ahead of the election being called, with commitments on renewable energy, emissions trading and energy efficiency.

Greens:

• The Greens have issued an environment policy that commits to establishing a national EPA, introducing a new federal Environment Act and creating a national certification scheme for environmental consultants.
• The Greens have issued new solar commitments including a $192 million sustainable schools program and an overhaul of electricity market legislation.
• The Greens have launched a wildlife policy, with commitments that include re-establishing a $2 billion biodiversity fund, with funding allocated over six years.
• The Greens have proposed a public transport fund, involving the allocation of $10 billion over four years to projects in various capital cities.
• The Greens have backed Climate Council calls for a doubling of the number of trained firefighters by 2030, and have proposed a $120 million allocation over four years.
• The Greens' Renew Australia plan makes commitments including the generation of 90% of the nation's electricity from renewables by 2030 (announced before the election was called).
• The Greens have also released a supplementary Renew Queensland plan.
• The Greens have released a plan to accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles and a Powering up battery storage plan.
• The Greens have released a Living reefs, dying coal package involving restrictions on coal mining and gas production and a coal export levy.
• The Greens have released a Caring for coal workers plan, that would audit the gap between secured rehabilitation bonds provided by coal mining companies and actual rehabilitation costs and the establishment of a Federal Trust Fund to hold money from mining companies to pay for clean-up.
• The Greens have proposed the establishment of an Australian infrastructure bank.

Nick Xenophon Team:

The NXT's environmental commitments include:

• calling on state governments to preserve prime agricultural land;
• considering adopting California's vehicle emissions standards in Australia;
• protecting groundwater from any adverse impacts of mining and coal seam gas exploration;
• having "an efficient emissions trading scheme based on the Frontier Economics scheme";
• having "federal legislation to protect key environmental assets", rather than dealing with them on a state by state basis;
• maintaining the right of environmental and community groups to pursue legal action under environmental legislation.

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