RE-Alliance appreciates the opportunity to make a submission to the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee inquiry into the Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025 and six related bills.
We support a rapid shift to renewable energy and recognise the importance of that shift being done in a way that protects and enhances nature. Renewables done right will ensure that renewable energy development is sustainable and meets increasing community expectations that all new developments will contribute to a ‘nature positive’ future.
Like all large infrastructure, renewable energy projects have an impact on the environment. However, from project siting all the way to decommissioning, there are tried and true ways to avoid impact, mitigate any residual impacts, and give back to local environments and species in and around the project site.
Appropriate reform of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) has the potential to deliver the framework needed to support the shift to renewable energy while protecting the environment. Unfortunately, the reforms to date have failed to provide improved certainty that this will be achieved - for communities or the environment.
In this submission we focus our comments on aspects of the EPBC Bills requiring further strengthening during the development of regulations and through implementation. Our comments are limited to those areas that we believe are most relevant to the shift to renewable energy.
Our recommendations are that:
- Regulations should require that all National Environmental Standards apply to all decisions under the EPBC Act.
- Regulations and National Environmental Standards should be used to fully integrate consideration of climate change into decision making under the EPBC Act.
- A National Environmental Standard on community engagement should operate at, at least, the ‘involve’ level of the IAP2 Public Participation Spectrum.
- Regulations should be used to ensure that the streamlined assessment pathway has improved community consultation requirements and that it is only available to those actions that will have a minimal environmental risk.
- A National Environmental Standard for First Nations participation should be developed as a matter of priority.
- The CEO of the National EPA should be required to make decisions consistent with all relevant National Environmental Standards.
- The EIA should prioritise work designed to ensure that the information collected is easily accessible by the broader community.
- Establish clear regulations and guidelines for the development of bioregional plans to ensure strong community engagement, clear environmental protections, and a process that delivers comprehensive regional planning for communities.
- Regulations should be developed that ensure that the biodiversity offset regime will deliver absolute net gain outcomes for impacted MNES.