Environment law and policy tracker

Thursday, 12 September 2019 4:55pm

Highlights include new laws and regulations, a Supreme Court ruling, and a new plastics taskforce. Jobs include posts with BlueScope, Sunshine Coast Council, SMEC, and Point Advisory.

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

Upcoming events:

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:

Have your say!: The Australian Energy Market Commission is inviting comment on a making the demand management innovation allowance available to transmission businesses to encourage the development of innovative demand management projects. The allowance is currently only available to distribution businesses.
Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor today released the final report of the review of the GEMS energy rating and labelling program (available shortly here).
The Clean Energy Regulator has invited qualified auditors to tender to provide it with audit services.
GB Energy has lodged an EPBC referral for a project that will extract natural gas from a field four kilometres offshore from Victoria's Golden Beach. The project will also have the capacity to store gas.
Carbon prices will rise, according to chair of the Clean Energy Regulator David Parker (see background here).
A carbon credits business has relinquished credits worth more than $400,000 to comply with a Clean Energy Regulator order (see background here).
Have your say – last chance!: The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Environment and Energy is inviting submissions by September 16 to its inquiry into nuclear energy in Australia.
New resource: A new report by consultancy EY concludes Australia is losing more than $320 million annually because of a failure to properly sort recyclables at the kerbside (see background here).
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 – last chance!: 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:

The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment has released a Murray-Lower Darling long-term water plan for comment by October 13.
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:

Statutory development: The Environment Protection Amendment Act and the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Amendment Act received Assent this week, while the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Amendment Bill was passed by state Parliament (see background here).
The state government has named finalists in the Premier's sustainability awards (see background here).
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).
Have your say!: Parks Victoria is inviting comments by September 29 on its plans to develop a land management strategy for the parks estate.
Have your say!: Comment closes September 30 on the draft Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations and a regulatory impact statement.

Tasmania:

Have your say!: Comment closes October 4 on a draft bill that would crack down on what constitutes clean fill and make company environmental monitoring data more accessible to the public (see background here).
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:

The City of Adelaide is inviting tenders to provide consultancy services for its climate change risk assessment project.
The state government today hosted the first meeting of a new single-use plastics advisory taskforce.
Have your say!: The state government has invited comment by October 31 on its healthy Coorong action plan.

Western Australia:

Statutory development: The state government has gazetted the Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Resources (Hydraulic Fracturing) Amendment Regulations 2019, which lifts the moratorium on fracking on petroleum titles that were in existence on November 26 last year.
The Planning Commission has gazetted a state planning policy on road and rail noise.
Have your say!: Comment closes October 29 on a draft Perth water precinct plan.
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.

Northern Territory:

A Supreme Court judge has described as 'extraordinary' the EPA's handling of a land-clearing project that would add significantly to the Territory's greenhouse gas emissions (see background here).
The Territory government today released a new coastal and marine management strategy.

Jobs and appointments:

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BlueScope is recruiting a senior technical advisor, sustainability to develop and maintain the sustainability credentials of its products.
Sunshine Coast Council is hiring a waste innovation coordinator ($135,000 - $165,000).
Consultancy Point Advisory is seeking a Sydney-based corporate sustainability consultant.
The City of Parramatta is recruiting a corporate sustainability officer.
Hawkesbury City Council is seeking a coordinator, environmental sustainability.
Mornington Peninsula Shire is recruiting a climate change project officer.
SMEC is hiring a senior environmental scientist, based in Sydney.
Bass Coast Shire is recruiting a coordinator, waste services.
The WA Department of Water and Environmental Regulation has vacancies for a senior compliance officer, a compliance officer, a manager of business planning and an environmental officer.
The NT Department of Environment and Natural Resources is hiring a senior environmental officer ($119,875 - $134,054 package) and an environmental officer ($97,285 - $116,335 package).
Tasmania's Department of State Growth is recruiting a director, state growth ($131,319 to $144,451).
Victoria's Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning is seeking a program manager to work within the Office of the Conservation Regulator ($98,396 - $119,052).
The NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment is recruiting an executive director, energy and resource assessments, a director, planning policy and regulation reform and a team leader, environmental assessments.