RE-Alliance has been closely engaged in both federal and state reforms in the energy transition and helping set the framework for a just energy transition. We advocate for an energy transition that has local agency, and invests in local capacity, regional benefits and leadership. RE-Alliance welcomes the opportunity to comment on Queensland’s Draft Code of Conduct for Renewable Energy Developers (Draft Code).

We support the intent of establishing clearer expectations for renewable energy developers on community engagement, management of impacts and community benefits. The connection between the Code, annual reporting and generation authorities creates an opportunity to improve accountability across the life of projects.

The final Code should provide clear minimum standards while also encouraging developers to move towards leading practice. It should strengthen community outcomes without unnecessarily duplicating Queensland’s recently expanded planning requirements or creating uncertainty that slows well-designed renewable energy projects.

Queensland is not starting from scratch. The Queensland Renewable Energy Developer & Investor Toolkit already sets out detailed Queensland-specific leading practice on landholder engagement, First Nations participation, community engagement and benefit sharing. This Toolkit was developed by the industry peak body, QREC, in consultation with Coexistence Queensland, several developers, Queensland Farmers Federation, First Nations Clean Energy Network, conservation groups, and community groups, including RE-Alliance. The move from voluntary guidance to a regulatory Code should build on, rather than dilute, these existing expectations.

We make the following specific recommendations regarding the Draft Code:

• Establish clear minimum standards and leading-practice expectations.
• Require meaningful community influence, with collaboration on substantive decisions and reporting on what changed through engagement.
• Better integrate the Code with planning requirements.
• Clarify neighbour eligibility and benefit agreements, recognising proximity and project impacts, and removing wording that frames benefits as payment for supporting a project.
• Encourage regional coordination on cumulative impacts, housing, workforce, local procurement and lasting benefits, while retaining benefits for neighbours and individual host communities.
• Strengthen First Nations rights and participation.
• Address climate, nature and end-of-life responsibilities clarifying how they inform assessments of developer conduct.
• Require public, outcome-focused annual reporting.
• Ensure the Code requires clarity on the commitments that must continue when ownership changes.
• Clearly define Coexistence Queensland’s roles.
• Review implementation after approximately two years.

RE-Alliance welcomes the recognition of the Developer Rating Scheme in the Draft Code. We support the Regulator considering these ratings as additional evidence of developer performance, alongside direct feedback from affected communities.

Read more in our full submission.