ESG Snapshot: Issue 114

This week's highlights include:

• Good to GO. The Guarantee of Origin scheme will start next week.
• Waste plan. NSW will make it easier to approve waste facilities, and will smooth the path for more energy from waste projects.
• Oil and gas decommissioning. Australia needs a consistent financial assurance regime for decommissioning offshore oil and gas, a Victorian inquiry has heard.
• FOI block. A new NT Bill would quash an FOI request made by the NT Environment Centre.
• Greenwashing. New submissions to a Senate greenwashing inquiry include one from Ad Standards.
• Electricity reform. The NT Assembly has passed bills that overhaul the Territory's electricity market.
• EPA climate guidance. EPA Victoria has issued draft guidance about climate change impacts on pollution and waste.
• Timber plan. A new Queensland timber plan provides for continued native forest logging.

ESG Snapshot - powered by the Business Council for Sustainable Development Australia and curated by ESG communications and content consultancy Earthed.

New submissions to a re-adopted Senate committee inquiry into greenwashing include one from the Ad Standards Community Panel.

The Panel's submission describes the nine advertisements that were found to breach its environmental code between 2023 and 2025.

The nine ads in breach include a sticker on an Aldi freezer stating that the freezer was 'powered by 100% renewable electricity'.

The Panel rejected Aldi's arguments that the term was accurate, true and factually correct.

"The Panel considered that to avoid misleading or deceiving consumers a disclaimer should be clearly displayed on the advertisement informing consumers that Aldi uses power purchase agreements and large-scale generation certificates to achieve 100% renewable energy status," its report says.

"The Panel considered that the average consumer in the target market would not understand the statement, 'powered by 100% renewable energy' to mean that the company overall is committed to using 100% renewable energy."

Statutory architecture for Australia's Guarantee of Origin scheme is now in place.

The federal government has set 3 November as the commencement date for legislation governing the scheme.

The associated Measurement Standard has been gazetted, so have regulations on fees, as well as amending regulations on auditing, and an auditing determination.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump have signed an agreement on critical minerals and rare earths, which aims to accelerate priority projects and bolster the US/Australia supply chain.

The US and Australia have also agreed to each provide at least US$1 billion in investments towards an USD$8.5 billion pipeline of priority critical minerals projects in the two countries over the next six months.

ARENA has awarded a $25 million grant to Melbourne-based company Relectrify to fast-track the roll-out of its world-first, AC1 battery energy storage system.

Unlike conventional batteries, the AC1 can generate grid-ready AC power directly from battery cells, without the need for an inverter, cutting costs, and reducing battery degradation. 

Australia's Youth Advisory Council on International Climate Change is hosting its first Youth Climate workshop webinar on Monday 3 November.

The webinar is open to everyone aged 18 to 30 with an interest in climate change.

The federal government has approved Tilt Renewables' 108MW Waddi wind farm proposed for a site near Dandaragan in Western Australia's Wheatbelt.

The ACCC has approved an electricity buying group led by the South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy (SACOME).

Previous, similar approvals granted to SACOME by the ACCC resulted in the organisation signing an eight-year supply contract with renewable energy retailer ZEN Energy.

The federal government has appointed Alison Rowe to its Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee.

Rowe is the global chief executive officer of Edge Impact.

She is also the former managing director of the Nature Conservancy, and a former chair of the Infrastructure Sustainability Council.

Submissions are now available on the statutory review of the Energy Industry Jobs Plan process administered by the Net Zero Economy Authority.

Geoscience Australia has released the latest edition of Australia's Energy Commodity Resources (AECR).

ACER provides resource estimates of the nation's non-renewable energy commodity resources, and an overview of projects and policy developments related to clean energy technologies. 

"It's not an exaggeration to state that this nation stands as a beacon of promise in a sea of uncertainty," Climate Change Authority Chair Matt Kean has said in a speech in Sydney.

"But goals, of course, don’t kick themselves," he said. "We are going to need supportive and enduring policy, and private capital – lots of it."

"To achieve the transition off fossil fuels, we will need a tripling of utility-scale solar energy and a four-fold increase in wind energy capacity by 2035, the Authority’s targets advice to the government showed," he said.

"Large-scale storage will need to expand six-fold, and rooftop and other distributed solar capacity will have to double to 48GW."

Nxt.Nature has appointed Vanessa Gibbons as its inaugural chief executive officer.

Nxt.Nature leverages the Accounting for Nature Framework "to deliver credible, measurable and assured environmental outcomes that link government policy, investment, corporate action, and landholder initiatives to nature market", Accounting for Nature said.

As Nxt.Nature prepares for full operations in the first quarter of 2026, the company will take on pilot programs currently administered by Accounting for Nature, such as CarbonPlus labelled ACCUs and NaturePlus credits, as well as the Nxt.Registry.

Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) has announced the appointment of Kylea Tink and Rod Henderson to its Board of Directors.

Tink is currently CEO of Foodbank Australia, and is a former MP. Henderson was formerly CEO of Ampcontrol Australia, and serves on the board of the Committee for the Hunter.

Carbon project developer AgriProve has recently registered 30 new ACCU soil carbon projects, and revoked seven existing projects, the latest Clean Energy Regulator update shows.

Briefings:

• The OECD has released a paper on green iron opportunities in Australia.
• The Climate Council, in conjunction with PropTrack, has issued a report on how floods are impacting Australian property values.
• Norton Rose Fulbright has issued a briefing on proposed EPBC Act reforms.
• Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer has issued a blog post on the Queensland Energy Bill.
• The Let Me Sum Up podcast has analysed the Grattan Institute's report on net-zero electricity, and looked at the Queensland energy Bill.
• The World Resources Institute has released its latest State of Climate Action report, which provides a roadmap for closing the global gap in climate action to help keep the Paris Agreement goal within reach, and grades collective efforts so far.
• Greenpeace has released a report called Power shift - WA's electrified future, written in conjunction with Springmount Advisory.
• An Age article points to two new studies - a Global Tipping Points report, and an article in Nature that concludes aboveground biomass in Australian tropical forests has switched from being a net carbon sink, to a net carbon source.

Scientists have observed higher levels of mortality in elephant seals on Heard Island, consistent with an outbreak of H5 avian influenza (bird flu).

Heard Island is part of the Heard Island and McDonald Islands external Australian territory, and is located more than 4,000 km south west of Perth.

"Australia remains the only continent free from the highly contagious strain of H5 bird flu," according to DCCEEW.

"A confirmed detection on Heard Island would not substantially increase the risk to Australia."

EPBC developments:

• DCCEEW has released the referral for Fortescue's proposed 2.1GW Bonney Downs wind farm in the Pilbara.
• DCCEEW has released the referral for Iberdrola's proposed 3GW Aurora wind project, offshore from Gippsland.
• DCCEEW has released the referral for High Seas Wind (a joint venture of EDP Renewables and Engie) to conduct geophysical and geotechnical investigations for its proposed 1.3GW wind project offshore from Gippsland.
• DCCEEW has released the referral for BNRG Leeson's proposed 440MW Corop solar farm and battery system, to be located near Rushworth, in Victoria. Stage one would have a capacity of 280MW. Once fully complete, it would be the largest solar farm in the state.

Open consultations:

• Nature Repair Market. DCCEEW is consulting on the design of a proposed Enhancing Native Vegetation method under the Nature Repair Act. Comments are due by 4 November.

The federal and Queensland governments have released a draft revised Reef 2050 Catchment Water Quality Strategy.

Survey responses are due by 19 November.

The Queensland government has released a new toolkit for councils on building and maintaining social licence for renewable energy projects.

The toolkits being developed in conjunction with the Local Government Association of Queensland.

The Queensland government has released a 25-year Future Timber Plan that aims to grow the state's plantation estate by 25,000 hectares by 2050, and continue native forest logging.

The plan "delivers certainty and uninterrupted supply with new sales permits to be issued in 2026 for state-owned native hardwood supply in forests outside the southeast corner," said Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett.

Queensland's Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation is inviting submissions on wastes that could be suitable for a new End Of Waste code. Submissions are due by 30 January.

The Queensland government has signed a gas supply agreement for CS Energy's proposed new 400MW gas peaking plant near Chinchilla.

The NSW government has finalised the first chapter of the NSW Waste and Circular Infrastructure Plan.

The plan:

• updates the state's energy from waste framework, to better facilitate energy from waste projects, and to exclude biochar, biogas, biomethane, and sustainable aviation fuel projects from the definition of 'thermal treatment'. The EPA will also allow the thermal treatment of end-of-life tyres to produce oil, steel, carbon black and syngas, if this occurs outside the Greater Sydney Region.
• streamlines planning processes for the expansion of existing priority landfills, and establishes a waste infrastructure concierge to assist with assessments and approvals.
• establishes a new independent advisory committee for strategic waste infrastructure.

Future chapters of the plan will focus on regional and rural waste challenges and solutions, as well as reuse and recycling infrastructure, with community consultation to start later this year.

The NSW government has released a Biodiversity Conservation Investment Strategy for the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone.

The strategy will guide how up to $140 million in biodiversity offsets is spent in the region. 

The NSW DCCEEW has so far committed to purchasing more than 14,000 biodiversity credits – valued at $27 million – from local landholders, with more purchase agreements in the pipeline.

A NSW parliamentary committee inquiry into historical development consents has scheduled a hearing in Sydney for Wednesday.

Those giving evidence include representatives of the Environment and Planning Law Association.

A NSW parliamentary committee inquiry into the impact of renewable energy zones has scheduled a hearing in Wollongong for Wednesday.

Those giving evidence include chief executives of Endeavour Energy and Rewiring Australia.

A NSW parliamentary committee inquiry into emissions from the fossil fuel sector has scheduled a hearing for 12 December.

The Australian Industry Greenhouse Network has released a submission on the NSW EPA's proposed licensee requirements for large emitters, as has the Australian Conservation Foundation.

The NSW government has announced grants for 29 exploration projects totalling almost $2.5 million, delivered through its Critical Minerals and High Tech Metals Exploration Program.

A total of 21 of the projects are focused on copper exploration.

The NSW government has approved APA Group to convert its Moomba to Sydney ethane pipeline to deliver up to 25 terajoules of fossil gas to Sydney each day. The 1,200km high-pressure pipeline hasn't been used since 2023. 

The additional gas is equal to the annual gas use of about 1,300 NSW homes.

Open consultations:

• Landfills. The NSW EPA has released draft updated guidelines for solid waste landfills. Comments are due by 25 November.
• Product lifecycle. The NSW EPA has released a draft Product Lifecycle Responsibility Regulation, and an associated regulatory impact statement, focusing on small batteries. Comments are due by 14 November.

EPA Victoria has released draft guidance on minimising pollution and waste risks in a changing climate.

A webinar is scheduled for 6 November, and comments are due by 3 December.

Organisations that have made submissions to a Victorian parliamentary inquiry into decommissioning oil and gas infrastructure include the Academy of Science and Technological Sciences and Engineering, and the Centre of Decommissioning Australia (CODA).

CODA says infrastructure offshore from Victoria includes 255 oil and gas wells, 22 fixed platforms, and 1,437 kilometres of pipelines.

Esso has so far plugged and abandoned more than 200 of these wells, and this work will continue through to 2027.

Decommissioning of all infrastructure will be completed by the early 2040s, CODA says.

CODA says the federal government is working on a financial assurance methodology to apply to decommissioning, and urges Victoria and other states to work together on an approach to financial assurances.

The Academy says Victoria should mandate that operators of offshore oil and gas infrastructure regularly disclose facility conditions, environmental risks, and any leakage.

The Victorian government has announced a $75 million investment in five specialist venture capital funds, including Virescent Ventures Fund II, which it describes as Australia's largest and most active dedicated climate technology investor.

The state-owned SEC has opened a new community hub in the Latrobe Valley town of Morwell.

The hub features interactive displays that show how renewable energy is generated and stored through wind, solar and batteries. Visitors can also explore model electric appliances.

The hub also celebrates the SEC's history in the Latrobe Valley.

The Board of Tasmania's EPA has approved a proposal by Boyer Paper Mill Limited for coal processing at its Boyer pulp and paper mill.

The proposal involves screening and crushing 90,000 tonnes of coal annually, supplied from interstate by Yancoal.

The screening and crushing is required because the local Tasmanian company that has until now supplied Boyer with coal for its boiler can no longer supply the mill.

The mill is conducting feasibility studies on switching away from coal.

A  call for tenders is now underway inviting bids to provide 700MW of long duration dispatchable capacity, under South Australia's Firm Energy Reliability Mechanism (The FERM).

South Australia generates 75% of its electricity from renewables and is on track to hit 100% net renewables by 2027.

"This achievement has only been possible because of the capacity of gas to firm the grid," the state government said.

FERM will establish contracts with eligible existing and new long-duration firm capacity power generators, effectively underwriting a portion of their revenues.

"We anticipate a range of new long-duration storage technologies will participate, in addition to gas turbines," the state government said.

The climate change impacts of Woodside's Scarborough LNG project can be quantified, according to a new article in NPJ Climate Action.

Statutory development - FOI. The NT government has introduced an Attorney-General and Police Legislation Amendment Bill 2025, that in part makes changes to the Information Act.

Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby said the Bill would "clarify long-standing practice that correspondence between Ministers, Assistant Ministers and their staff - where not related to official government business - is not subject to Freedom of Information (FOI) laws".

"This follows an ongoing legal challenge between the Northern Territory Government and the Environment Centre NT, which is seeking access to documents from when Nicole Manison was a Labor Minister, relating to McArthur River Mine dating back over five years," the Attorney-General said.

"These changes simply make that long-standing practice clear in law, because Territorians expect their money to be spent on delivering services, not fighting endless green lawfare in court," Boothby said.

Statutory development - electricity market. The NT Legislative Assembly has passed bills that overhaul the operation of the electricity market.

Minister for Mining and Energy, and Minister for Renewables Gerard Maley said the legislation would establish new market and governance arrangement for the procuring of electricity assets and energy contracting.

Management from INPEX last week met with the NT EPA to provide a briefing on the company's under-reporting of Volatile Organic Compounds, including benzene, from the Ichthys LNG facility near Darwin.

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Proposed government changes to New Zealand's climate disclosures regime "would significantly weaken the framework that established the country as a global leader in managing climate-related financial risks", the Investor Group on Climate Change has warned.

"Raising the reporting threshold for listed equity and debt issuers from NZ$60 million to NZ$1 billion will exclude a substantial portion of the economy from climate reporting obligations," it said.

The wholesale removal of Managed Investment Scheme managers from the regime is also troubling, the IGCC said.

"These entities manage approximately NZ$230 billion in assets - capital that is exposed to climate-related risks and opportunities."

The UNFCCC has released a National Adaptation Plans Progress Report.

UNFCCC executive secretary Simon Stiell said the report showed "we need to see much more, and better climate financing flowing to adaptation".

"The roadmap to scale up to US$1.3 trillion annually in climate finance will be key," he said.

A survey-based report by MIT has found that 85% of companies say they are continuing supply chain sustainability practices at the same level as in recent years, or are increasing those efforts.

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