Amendments to the Environmental Offsets Act 2014

Amendments to the Environmental Offsets Act 2014On Thursday, 28 August the Environment Protection and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2014 (EPOLA Bill) was introduced into Parliament.Among other pieces of legislation, the EPOLA Bill proposes to amend the newly introduced Environmental Offsets Act 2014. When introduced in July this year, the Property Council raised concerns with the drafting of various provisions within the legislation. At his Annual Premier’s Address to the Property Council the same month, Premier Campbell Newman gave a commitment that his government would work with the industry to resolve these issues.While the Property Council has continued to provide feedback, case studies and solutions to the Government, these changes to the legislation entered Parliament without our knowledge or input. As a result we are concerned that the amendments as proposed will fail to deliver the offsets framework intended by the Government. The EPOLA Bill has been referred to the Agriculture, Resources and Environment Committee, which is to report back to Parliament by 22 October. The Property Council will use the opportunity provided by the Committee Inquiry and our commitment to ongoing conversations with the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (DEHP) to push for changes to the Bill so that the final legislation provides a workable solution for our members. Further information is available here.