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NATIONAL

A House of Representatives inquiry into solar panel recycling has held its first hearing, with officials from DCCEEW giving evidence.

Officials spoke of the logistical challenge of collecting and moving solar panels without breaking them.

"If they break, they are less able to be recycled due to the shards of glass," a DCCEEW official said.

"We think, at the end of last year, around 60,000 tonnes of solar panels in Australia reached their end of life," an official said. "On our current projections, that could end up being around 90,000 tonnes by 2030."

Parliament has passed legislation that will allow Australia to become a party to the UN High Seas Treaty, which entered into force at the start of this year.

The Bill passed with bipartisan support.

The federal government has listed three more types of native forests as endangered ecological communities - the Alpine Ash forests and White Ash forests, and the pinkwood cool temperate rainforests (find out more about Alpine Ash here).

The listings are in line with advice from Australia's Threatened Species Committee.

The Australian Forest Products Association criticised the listings of the ash forests.

The Senate has established a Select Committee to investigate the taxation of gas resources.

The inquiry will consider matters including alternative tax arrangements, and the potential to use additional tax revenue for cost of living relief. It will report why May 7.

DCCEEW has released a series of templates for Supplier Environmental Sustainability Plans.

Federal procurement managers are required to include the templates in tender documentation for certain types of goods, and those submitting tenders must submit an Environmental Sustainability Plan that follows the template.

DCCEEW has also released model sustainability clauses to include in tender documents, as well as guidance to help tender assessors evaluate sustainability claims made by businesses submitting tenders.

The High Court will hear its first climate case on May 13, with coal mining company MACH Energy challenging a NSW court ruling that overturned the approval for an expansion of its Mt Pleasant mine.

The High Court case is focused on whether the emissions from the company's Mount Pleasant coal mine can be characterised as causing climate impacts in a specific local area.

A community group last year successfully argued to the NSW Court of Appeal that the project would have local impacts linked to climate change. MACH Energy is now challenging that decision in the High Court.

"This goes to the heart of causation questions which courts are grappling with all over the world, in both public and private law contexts," according to international climate lawyer Harj Narulla, who helped prepare a submission for the court.

The federal government has finalised two new methods for earning Australian Carbon Credit Units:

• a new savanna fire management sequestration and emissions avoidance ACCU method.
• an updated savanna fire management emissions avoidance ACCU method.

The new methods will better recognise the full carbon abatement benefits of managed burning in northern Australian savanna lands to reduce bushfire risk.

The government also flagged that a new ACCU method is on the way for earning carbon credits through better livestock management. The method will take into account the use of methane-reducing feed additives.

Work on the proposed method, which would replace the expired Beef Cattle Herd Management ACCU method, is being led by Meat and Livestock Australia.

The government also confirmed that the Australian Resources Recovery Council is leading work on an updated Alternative Waste ACCU method that will incentivise the diversion of mixed solid waste from landfill.

The ACCU method could support the increased production of fertiliser and biofuels.

DCCEEW is consulting on proposed amendments to the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting scheme (NGER).

The consultation paper notes that Australia and the UN Environment Programme are collaborating on a world-first study to test approaches for measuring methane emissions from open-cut coal mines.

DCCEEW has released the latest annual National Pollutant Inventory data.

The NPI includes data on emissions of 93 substances from more than 4,000 facilities.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has awarded a $25.3 million grant to NewVolt to build a shared fast‑charging network for electric trucks.

NewVolt will deliver three open-access, fast‑charging hubs for electric trucks along major freight corridors in Melbourne's west.

NewVolt is seeking foundation customers for the three Melbourne hubs, which represent the first phase of a planned national network. The first hub will open later this year, with the other two hubs opening next year.

Meanwhile, the CEFC has committed $100 million to help Volkswagen Financial Services Australia offer customers discounted finance for the purchase of new and used EVs, across multiple vehicle brands.

The federal government has named four projects to participate in the pilot phase of its Investor Front Door initiative, which aims to fast-track major projects in the national interest.

• HAMR Energy's renewable fuel projects in Victoria and South Australia will develop two facilities to convert biomass into low-carbon liquid fuels. Its Victoria project near Portland will produce methanol from plantation forestry residues. A similar project is under development in South Australia.
• Ardea Resources' Kalgoorlie nickel project in Western Australia could produce 30,000 tonnes of nickel and 2,000 tonnes of cobalt a year. 
• New Energy Transport's Wilton project in Sydney will establish a large-scale electric freight hub, the first in a proposed network.
• The Murchison Green Hydrogen project in Western Australia will comprise wind and solar farms, a desalination plant, and a green hydrogen production facility, which will produce green ammonia.

New legislative amendments give Export Finance Australia power to operate a Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve.

The amendments enable Export Finance Australia to secure supplies of critical minerals, selectively stockpile them, and sell them.

The aim is to position Australia "as a trusted and stable partner in high-value, vulnerable supply chains", according to Export Finance Australia.

The Australian Accounting Standards Board and ASIC have published educational modules to help companies that are obliged to prepare climate-related financial disclosures.

In EPBC Act news, DCCEEW has invited comment on Quinbrook's Gladstone SDA Energy Hub, comprising a 780MW, 8-hour battery, as well as six gas turbines that have a total capacity of 1,188MW.

Last December, Quinbrook and Stanwell signed an MoU granting Stanwell exclusivity over the project.

IP Group Australia and the CEFC have launched a Climate Catalyst Fund to support Australian companies developing technology to decarbonise hard to abate industries.

IP Group Australia is contributing $30 million and the CEFC is contributing $20 million, and the two cornerstone investors are now seeking new investors.

IP Group Australia has previously invested in Hysata, which is developing the world's most efficient hydrogen electrolyser, and Optigrid, which is an asset optimisation platform for grid-scale batteries.

A joint parliamentary committee inquiry into preparing for emerging industries in northern Australia is holding hearings this week in Kununurra and Broome.

The Climate Change Authority is consulting on the development of an Evidence Platform to monitor Australia's progress towards a net zero future.

Comments are due by the end of this month.

The Offshore Infrastructure Regulator has released a new brochure on offshore renewables and interactions with fisheries.

This month marks the 50th anniversary of air quality monitoring at CSIRO's Kennaook/Cape Grim facility in Tasmania.

The facility measures what is called "baseline air", which is unpolluted air that has travelled across the Southern Ocean, without encountering land or human influence.

QUEENSLAND

Amended financial arrangements between Queensland government-owned energy company Stanwell and coal mining company Coronado Global Resources could deliver the company cash flow benefits of about $250 million this financial year, the company says.

The altered arrangements also appear to have had significant flow-on benefits for Coronado. That’s because they helped to drastically cut the assurance that the company has to provide in order for officials to be satisfied that it can meet its rehabilitation obligations.

A Queensland parliamentary inquiry into sugarcane bioenergy opportunities has recommended that the state government push for a national biofuels mandate, including a requirement that a set portion come from local feedstocks.

The committee also recommends that:

• the state government consider offtake agreements with sugar manufacturers for ethanol, which include fixed pricing or floor pricing arrangements.
• funding a pre-feasibility study into developing a Queensland biofuel supply chain for the Australian Defence Force.

Labor members of the inquiry said the report's recommendations "do not go far enough".

NSW

Transcript is now available from a recent hearing of a NSW parliamentary inquiry into the impact of renewable energy zones.

Those giving evidence included farmer Andrew Locke, who owns a farm in Walcha, within the New England Renewable Energy Zone, and is one of 36 farmers who will host the proposed Winterbourne wind farm.

"I personally as a business owner want the project approved as soon as possible," Locke told the inquiry.

"This is our family and business choice to sign up for this," he said. "It improves our business resilience."

"It gives us drought protection, and we're about to go into a dry season right now, so that's very front of mind," Locke said.

"It has no effect on our ongoing productivity. In fact, in my view it improves the productivity of our land, because not only are we producing rural income but we're producing energy income."

"We're also conscious of making sure the community benefits as well," Locke said.

"The Walcha shire council gets - from this particular development that I'm involved in - $1 million up-front when the financial close occurs, and then $750,000 a year indexed for council to manage the community benefit fund."

Verity Morgan-Schmidt from Farmers for Climate Action told the hearing that "a lot of rural people and regional communities consistently underestimate the level of support for clean energy in their own community".

The group's research shows that about 62% of the people living in renewable energy zones support them.

"Yet they estimate it as only being about 37% support," she said.

A NSW parliamentary select committee on proposed energy from waste facilities is conducting hearings in Parkes today and tomorrow.

The NSW Independent Planning Commission has approved a request by Delta Power & Energy to consolidate its Chain Valley coal operations.

The consolidation extends the mine life by two years to the end of 2029. Coal from the mining operations is transported by conveyor belt to the Vales Point power plant.

The Commission has also approved Spark Renewables' 800MW Dinawan solar farm, proposed for a site near Jerilderie, within the South West Renewable Energy Zone.

The Dinawan solar farm will generate enough renewable energy to power about 142,000 homes.

The CSIRO is working with 23 NSW landholders to test the effectiveness of using airborne environmental DNA to identify what native animal species are present.

The landholders install devices to collect tiny traces of DNA drifting in the air, and return the filters to CSIRO for testing.

NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust principal ecologist Wendy Neilan said airborne DNA offers a way to monitor animals on large or remote private properties.

Laboratory testing has so far identified DNA from many native species, including koalas, grey‑headed flying foxes, bandicoots and many birds.

"AirDNA is an exciting new science with huge potential," Neilan said.

The NSW government has placed on exhibition the environmental impact statement for Lake Lyell pumped hydro scheme, proposed for a site near Lithgow.

The project could store up to 3,080MWh of energy, and generate at 385MW for eight hours, or at 440MW for four hours.

The project proponents are EnergyAustralia and EDF Power Solutions Australia.

The project would encompass Lake Lyell, which is an artificial lake owned by EnergyAustralia that supplies water to its Mount Piper coal power plant. The power plant is due to close in 204o.

NSW EnergyCo has announced the raising of the first transmission tower in the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone.

The Central-West Orana REZ will deliver enough electricity to power more than two million homes and will ramp up from 2028.

The REZ is expected to attract up to $25 billion in private investment, and is forecast to support about 1,850 direct construction jobs and about 930 operational jobs.

The REZ is also delivering $128 million in Community and Employment Benefit Program grants to the region, with more than $72 million already awarded.

More funding will flow over the coming decades through fees paid by energy generators that connect to the REZ network.

Check out the latest Track Changes pod! ClientEarth's Gizem Koç chats about recent changes in Türkiye's climate law and policy, and the drivers of those changes.

VICTORIA

Victoria's Auditor-General has released a new report on the program that was put in place to assist workers, businesses, and communities affected by the state government's decision to end native timber harvesting at the start of 2024.

Of the workers made redundant after the decision, 87% are in new employment or have retired. But full-time roles have decreased from around 80% to 60%.

All the businesses examined in the audit are still in operation.

The audit found that the transition program has well-designed guidelines to administer grants and support, but found it isn't clear if these have been applied consistently.

The Victorian government has ordered 150,000 megalitres of water from the Victorian Desalination Plant, in response to a significant drop in metropolitan storage levels.

Metropolitan storages are at their lowest levels in more than six years, and storages in Melbourne and Geelong have had their steepest annual decline since the Millennium Drought. 

The Victorian Desalination Plant can provide up to one-third of Melbourne's annual water demand. 

Construction has started on the SEC's Delburn wind farm near the Latrobe Valley.

The 205MW wind farm is Victoria's first government-owned, large scale renewables project.

The wind farm will be operational in 2028 and will generate enough electricity to power more than 130,000 homes.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The federal government has confirmed it has finalised a new EPBC Act assessment agreement with the South Australian government, replacing the 2014 version.

The scope of the agreement will include the majority of developments declared 'major projects' under South Australia's Development Act 1993 or Mining Act.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Western Australian EPA has recommended approval for a proposed new underground gold mine in the Great Sandy Desert, 400 kilometres south-east of Port Hedland.

However, it has recommended a ban on night-time haulage of ore from the Telfer-Havieron gold mine to protect the critically endangered, mostly ground-dwelling night parrot.

During the day, trucks would need to comply with speed limits and use fauna spotters to avoid harm to species such as the greater bilby.

The EPA has also recommended fire avoidance conditions and feral pest management conditions, which it says will result in a net benefit for the night parrot and greater bilby.

IDEAS, ADVOCACY, GUIDANCE, AND INNOVATION

Tyre Stewardship Australia has released a YouTube video called Tyred & Wasted that exposes the costs of illegal tyre dumping.

The documentary shows how rogue tyre operators charge consumers and businesses for "responsible" disposal, then dump tyres illegally. 

Tyre Stewardship Australia says participation in the national tyre stewardship scheme needs to be made mandatory for tyre businesses to stamp out rogue operators.

The Investor Group on Climate Change has released its policy priorities for 2026 to 2030.

They include the introduction of phase-out dates for programs and policies, including subsidies, that enable any ongoing expansion, extraction or use of fossil fuels.

The Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility has welcomed reports that proxy advisor Glass Lewis has recommended a vote for its resolution at BP's April 23 annual general meeting.

Glass Lewis is one of the two large proxy advisors.

The ACCR resolution would require the company to disclose how the company assess the cost competitiveness of each new oil and gas project.

Legal & General Investment Management, a top-ten shareholder in BP, has announced its intention to vote for the same resolution.

Glass Lewis has also recommended voting against a management resolution to revoke previous climate reporting requirements.

The Let Me Sum Up podcast has released a new episode on fuel security, focused on research by IEEFA. The Climate Council has released a briefing on Australia's response to the climate crisis.

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