Environment law and policy tracker

Thursday, 05 September 2019 2:27pm

Highlights include draft environmental regulations and a new contamination law. Jobs include wind farm noise positions, and sustainability vacancies with TasPorts, World Vision and the Carbon Market Institute.

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Upcoming events
National, state and territory round-up
Jobs and appointments

Upcoming events:

International clean-up conference A September 8 to 12 conference in Adelaide on all aspects of site contamination and remediation, including the latest on PFAS.
Environment professionals management workshop A September 12 and 13 conference in Sydney, hosted by the Australian Sustainable Business Group.
Australian hydrogen forum A September 18 to 20 conference in Sydney.
New environmental laws, obligations and funding from across Australia A September 20 conference in Melbourne, hosted by the Australian Environment Business Network.
Healthy hospitals forum 2019: Integrating quality, OHS and environmental sustainability A September 23 and 24 conference in Melbourne.
Australia's national hydrogen strategy A September 24 lunchtime event in Adelaide, hosted by CEDA, with speakers including chief scientist Dr Alan Finkel.
Investor Group on Climate Change summit An October 14 and 15 summit in Sydney.
Energy efficiency expo An October 23 and 24 event in Melbourne, hosted by the Energy Efficiency Council.
Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand annual conference A November 4 to 6 conference in Adelaide.

National:

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has awarded a $6.2 million grant to Logan City Council to install a $17.28 million sewage biosolids gasifier at its Loganholme wastewater treatment plant. The facility will reduce the volume of biosolids by about 90%, producing a biochar that will be sold as soil conditioner.
The Clean Energy Regulator has officially confirmed the Renewable Energy Target has been met (see background here).
The condition of the Great Barrier Reef has deteriorated, mainly due to climate change, says an outlook report released by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (see background here).
The federal government is convening a new working group to explore how organisations might earn carbon credits from projects that protect mangroves and tidal marshes (see background here).
There has been barely any improvement in the CO2 emissions intensity of new passenger and light commercial vehicles sold in Australia in the last two years, a new government report reveals (see background here).
National greenhouse gas emissions for the year to March 2019 were 0.6% higher than the previous year, according to a government quarterly update (see background here).
Of the 872 NGER reports submitted by businesses for FY18, a total of 57 had to be resubmitted due to erroneous emissions data (see background here).
New resource: UNSW scientists have released a framework to guide the construction and management of coastal infrastructure that can resist the impacts of climate change.
New resource: The NZ government has released a hydrogen green paper.
New resource: The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis has released a briefing note on taxpayer subsidies provided to Adani for its proposed Carmichael coal mine.
Have your say!: The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Environment and Energy is inviting submissions by September 16 to its inquiry into nuclear energy in Australia.
Have your say!: The Australia NZ Biochar Initiative has released a draft industry standard on biochar for soils, with the aim of presenting it to Standards Australia as the basis for a national standard. Comment closes November 30.
Grant opportunity: The Communities Environment Program, which provides each electorate with up to $150,000 for small, community-led environment projects, will accept applications until October 10.

Queensland:

Grant opportunity: Applications for recycling infrastructure grants of between $50,000 and $5 million will be accepted until September 22, under round two of the Resource Recovery Industry Development Program.
Have your say!: Comment closes October 25 on a draft Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander commercial fishing development policy.

NSW:

Statutory development: The NSW government has rushed through a bill giving it new powers to compulsorily acquire a heavily contaminated site from a company that it expects will soon be liquidated (see background here).
The Independent Planning Commission has approved the expansion of a coal project with a condition that applies to indirect 'scope 3' emissions from burning the coal overseas (see background here).
The EPA and Department of Planning, Industry and Environment have fined Warkworth Mining Ltd a total of $30,000 over a wet weather discharge of saline water from a dam into a creek.
Court ruling: The Court of Appeal has rejected arguments by Muswellbrook Shire Council that a rehabilitation plan for a BHP mine was inadequate and invalid (see background here).
The EPA has gazetted a new order exempting underground tanks for back-up generator fuel, residential heating oil and waste oil from some requirements that apply to underground petroleum storage tanks.
Have your say – last chance!: Submissions are due by September 15 to an inquiry by the Legislative Assembly Environment and Planning Committee's into the sustainability of energy supply and resources in NSW.

Victoria:

Have your say!: Comment closes October 31 on a regulations, standards and protocols that will support the state's new environmental law, due to take effect in mid-2020 (see background here).
The EPA has released a new guide to a guide to the management of combustible recyclable and waste, and a bulletin on its approach to delegating powers.
Have your say!: Parks Victoria is inviting comments by September 29 on its plans to develop a land management strategy for the parks estate.

Tasmania:

Have your say!: Comments are due by October 7 on a draft waste plan that proposes the introduction of a waste levy (see background here).
Have your say!: Submissions are due by September 21 to a review of the Aboriginal Heritage Act.

South Australia:

Have your say!: The state government has invited comment by October 31 on its healthy Coorong action plan.

Western Australia:

Have your say!: Comment closes October 2 on a new discussion paper on carbon farming and the resource industry (see background here).
The EPA plans to release draft guidance on greenhouse gas assessment in November, after receiving 6,500 comments on a discussion paper (see background here).
Have your say!: Comment closes November 29 on a discussion paper about the state's proposed climate policy (see background here).
Grant opportunity: Applications close September 23 for grants of up to $250,000 under a $1.17 million funding round for waste and recycling infrastructure.
The state government is inviting applications by September 20 to join the state's independent Contaminated Sites Committee. Five committee positions will become vacant by the end of the year.

Jobs and appointments:

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The ACT Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate has several vacancies for climate change policy, carbon neutral government and energy efficiency policy/program officers ($84,257 - $96,430).
EPA Victoria is hiring a chemicals and waste team leader ($108,726 - $119,052).
Major Road Projects Victoria is seeking a senior manager, planning and environment ($163,931 - $222,948).
Bradken is hiring a Brisbane-based sustainability manager.
Transport Canberra and City Services is seeking a assistant director, waste policy ($106,043 - $114,146).
Sustainability Victoria is recruiting a project officer, resource recovery infrastructure ($85,279 - $96,759).
EPA NSW is hiring a principal legal officer and a manager, stakeholder engagement (both $140,323 - $150,304).
Victoria's Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning is seeking a manager, wind farm noise ($120,692 - $161,511) and a senior policy officer, wind farm noise ($98,396 - $119,052).
Beon is recruiting a solar proposals engineer, based in Melbourne.
The proponent of the Star of the South offshore wind project is hiring a Melbourne-based environmental and approvals manager.
The JV delivering Melbourne's West Gate tunnel project is hiring a senior environmental advisor.
Enel is seeking a Sydney-based commercial advisor (renewable energy).
The Carbon Market Institute is hiring a communications manager.
World Vision is hiring a Melbourne-based senior advisor to integrate environmental safeguards, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into all programs and policies.
The WA Department of Transport is seeking a Perth-based maritime environmental emergency response operations officer ($100,966-$111,590).
TasPorts is recruiting a Devonport-based health, safety and environmental advisor.
Sunshine Coast Regional Council is seeking an environmental officer ($71,000 - $82,000).