New seminars, law and policy changes in all jurisdictions, and a roundup of the latest environmental and carbon jobs and grants. A Footprint weekly snapshot for environmental and carbon professionals.

• Upcoming events
• Jurisdictional round-up (national, states and territories)
• Jobs and appointments
• Resources and business news

** Featured vacancy ** Sustainability Victoria is seeking an investment advisor, to help it encourage investment in waste and resource recovery infrastructure.

** Featured event ** Program now available for the Carbon Market Institute's May 3 and 4 Emissions Reduction Summit.

Upcoming events:

• Dangerous goods storage, handling and transport A half-day March 17 workshop in Melbourne, hosted by the Australian Environment Business Network.
• Energy markets at the crossroads? A March 17 evening seminar in Perth, hosted by the Australian Institute of Energy, and featuring Matthew Warren (Australian Energy Council) and Brian Innes (Energetics).
• Wind industry forum 2016 A March 17 conference in Melbourne, hosted by the Clean Energy Council.
• Solar heating and cooling workshop A March 17 workshop in Melbourne, hosted by AIRAH.
• Environmental risk and assessment training A March 21 training course in Townsville, offered by the Environmental Institute of Australia and New Zealand, for early career practitioners.
• Power supply challenges in South Australia A March 21 evening seminar in Adelaide, hosted by the Australian Institute of Energy.
• Green cities 2016 A March 22 to 24 event in Sydney, hosted by the Green Building Council of Australia and the Property Council of Australia.
• Energy management basics training A series of regional workshops offered by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage in Sydney (April 7) and Narrandera (April 27).

For other events, including a dangerous goods workshop in Melbourne, see the extensive Footprint what's on listings.

National:

• The Climate Change Authority has released submissions it received for its special review of climate change policy, which is due to report by the end of June (see background).
• The Government has gazetted the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Amendment (Percentages) Regulation 2016, which facilitates the operation of the Renewable Energy Target in 2016 by specifying the LRET Renewable Power Percentage and the SRES Small-scale Technology Percentage.
• The Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport has recommended passage of the Water Amendment (Review Implementation and Other Measures) Bill 2015, with the Greens opposing the bill in a dissenting report. The bill in part delays reviews of the effectiveness of the Water Act 2007, which is designed to ensure management of the Murray-Darling Basin in the national interest.
• The Department of Environment is consulting on changes to NGER regulatory provisions that deal with issues including auditor registration and deregistration (see background).
• The Senate Select Committee on Unconventional Gas Mining has scheduled hearings in Narrabri (March 29) and Darwin (April 12).
• Airport operators and councils are among those that might seek compensation from the Federal Government for contamination caused by firefighting foams that contained perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), a Senate inquiry has heard (see background).
• An expert committee to consider how to expand the National Carbon Offset Standard to include buildings, precincts and cities will meet in April, with representatives from the Green Building Council of Australia, capital cities, the Barangaroo Delivery Authority, the National Australian Built Environment Rating System and the CRC for Low Carbon Living.
• Environment Minister Greg Hunt said the Government aims to have the first carbon neutral precinct or city certified by January 2017. Likely contenders include Barangaroo and Adelaide (see background).
• The Australian Energy Market Commission has issued the National Electricity Amendment (Meter Replacement Processes) Rule 2016 (see information sheet).
• DFAT deputy secretary Ewen McDonald, who is co-chair of the Board of the Green Climate Fund, has welcomed results of the GCF's meeting last week in Korea, which he said will help the agency approve projects with US$2.5 billion in 2016. McDonald also welcomed a decision to schedule a GCF Board meeting for Samoa in December. "This is an opportunity to present first-hand the challenges that Pacific island countries face due to climate change," he said.

Queensland:

• The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection has issued new enforcement guidelines, describing its approach to ensuring legislative compliance.
• A Queensland parliamentary committee has backed a bill that would reinstate broad rights to appeal against the Aurukun bauxite project, for which mining company Glencore is currently the preferred proponent (see background).
• State Parliament's Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources Committee is to release the report of its inquiry into planning bills that are before Parliament by March 21.
• The absence of emission controls on Queensland's LNG projects and the watering down of regulatory checks on land clearing are the main factors behind a projected 35% increase in the state's greenhouse gas emissions between now and 2030, according to a new study prepared for the State Government (see background).
• Parliament's Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources Committee will release its planning bills inquiry report by March 21.

NSW:

• The NSW Government has gazetted the Mining Legislation Amendment (Harmonisation) Regulation 2016 (under the Mining Act) and the Petroleum (Onshore) Legislation Amendment (Harmonisation) Regulation 2016 (under the Petroleum (Onshore) Act 1991).
• The State Government has introduced a bill that would allow businesses other than electricity network operators to install smart meters (see background).
• The State Government has introduced a new bill that expands penalties for protests against mining and gas projects (see background).
• Comments are due by March 31 on draft NSW guidelines for community consultative committees for major projects (see background).
• Grant opportunity: The EPA has opened round three of the Council Litter Prevention Grants Program with $1.5 million of funding available to individual NSW councils as part of the five-year $465.7 million Waste Less, Recycle More initiative. Applications close on April 8.

ACT:

• Comment closes on April 3 on the ACT's draft climate change adaptation strategy.
• The Planning and Environment Division is inviting applications by April 22 for the 2016-17 round of heritage grants.

Victoria:

• The Planning Minister's advisory committee inquiring into major hazard facilities will on March 17 hear evidence from representatives of organisations including EPA Victoria and WorkSafe.
• Victoria's Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio has introduced a bill that aims to streamline and speed up procedures for connecting small-scale renewables systems to the grid (see background).
• Grant opportunity: Applications close on March 16 for funding under round one of the State Government's New Energy Fund, which will disburse up to $5 million out of the total fund allocation of $20 million.
• Grant opportunity: Applications close on April 17 for community groups to secure grants of up to $7,500 under the latest round of the Coastcare community grants program.

Tasmania:

• The EPA is developing its strategic plan for 2016 to 2019 and those wishing to be involved in consultation processes should email the agency.
• Comment closes on March 26 on Tasmania's draft climate action plan for 2016 to 2021.

South Australia:

• The South Australian Government has introduced a bill that would abolish an existing ban on spending public money to foster discussion about nuclear waste storage options (see background).
• Submissions are due by March 18 on the tentative findings issued by the State Government's Royal Commission into the Nuclear Fuel Cycle (see background).
• In a major defeat for South Australia's EPA, a court has rejected its interpretation of the state's legislation and policy on waste and found a company not guilty of breaching environmental conditions. EPA chief executive Tony Circelli warned the decision could lead to "administrative uncertainty" about controls applied to recyclable waste (see background).
• The South Australian Government has introduced a bill to the House of Representatives, after its passage through the Legislative Council, that will overhaul the operation of the state's Stormwater Management Authority (see background).

Western Australia:

• The Department of Environment Regulation, the Department of Mines and Petroleum and mining industry organisations will appear at an April 4 hearing of a Legislative Council committee inquiry into the Mining Legislation Amendment Bill, which would overhaul environmental provisions of the Mining Act.
• The Legislative Council's Environment and Public Affairs Committee will on March 29 hear from the Department of Environment Regulation regarding odour and groundwater contamination problems at a Bio-Organics composting facility at Oakford that ultimately led to its licence being revoked (see background).
• Grant opportunity: Western Australia's Environment Minister Albert Jacob has invited funding applications to subsidise purchasing decisions that boost recycling rates for construction and demolition waste (see background).
• Grant opportunity: Councils and other coastal land managers have until April 1 to apply for Coastal adaptation and protection grants. Individual grants of up to $300,000 are available to fund up to 50% of proposed projects.

Northern Territory:

• Draft Northern Territory regulations for the onshore gas industry oblige proponents to undertake stakeholder engagement and submit a public environmental management plan for ministerial approval before starting a project (see background).

Jobs and appointments:

• Robin Mellon, formerly chief operating officer with the Green Building Council of Australia, is the new chief executive of Australia's Supply Chain Sustainability School, which was launched last year (see background).
• Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has appointed Patrick Suckling, whose previous DFAT posts include High Commissioner in New Delhi and Counsellor at Australia's Embassy in Washington, as Australia's next Ambassador for the Environment. Suckling replaces Peter Woolcott, who has held the post since 2014.
• CS Energy is seeking a Toowoomba-based environmental coordinator for its Kogan Creek power station.
• The City of Geelong is seeking an environmental planning officer.
•   Toowoomba Regional Council is seeking an environmental officer.
• PPG Industries is seeking a Sydney-based EHS business partner.
• Tasman Environmental Markets, "in partnership with an iconic Australian corporation", is seeking a Sydney-based market development executive to work on a sustainability program for businesses.
• Casino operator Star Entertainment Group has a maternity leave vacancy for a Sydney-based sustainability project manager.
• Environmental services company CO2 Australia is seeking two landholder relationships managers based in Wagga Wagga and Brisbane.
• The ACT Planning and Environment Directorate is advertising two positions, a manager of energy policy and a manager of energy projects.
• The ACT Planning and Environment Directorate is also seeking a renewable energy industry development officer.
• The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is seeking a Townsville-based project manager for protection systems and strategies.

Resources and business news:

• The Clean Energy Council has announced the introduction of an independent testing program to ensure the actual performance of solar panels and inverters sold in Australia live up to their marketing claims. The Council has also introduced new terms and conditions will allow products to be de-listed from the registers of approved modules and inverters if suppliers breach consumer law, for example by failing to honour warranties.
• New standards on using fly ash as a supplementary cementitious material are available from SAI Global.
• Energy consultancy Energetics has won The Financial Review Client Choice Awards for 2016, in the category of niche firm leader. The company was also a finalist for best consulting engineering firm with revenue under $50 million.