Articles

Australia is proposing significant updates to the NGER Scheme from 1 July 2026 that could materially affect how businesses measure and report emissions, particularly under the Safeguard Mechanism. With consultation open until 8 May 2026, this process offers a critical opportunity for organisations to understand the impacts and influence the final rules before they take effect.

EPA Victoria has intensified its response to offensive odour impacts, using stronger enforcement powers under the Environment Protection Act 2017 to hold operators accountable beyond licence compliance. Recent court orders and inspection blitzes signal that effective odour management and evidence-based risk control are now regulatory essentials.

The Environmental Legislation Amendment Act 2025 introduces extended noise abatement timeframes, expanded enforcement powers and new sentencing considerations under the POEO Act, reshaping how noise compliance is managed in NSW. These changes heighten the need for robust monitoring, defensible records and proactive noise management by regulated organisations.

DETSI has released new Environmental Authority conditions for critical minerals projects including a requirement to install meteorological stations in line with BoM siting guidelines. These differ in detail from the AS/NZS 3580.14 standard for air quality monitoring, highlighting the need for comparison and careful interpretation when planning meteorological monitoring for air quality assessments.

Animal noise, particularly dog barking, is a common source of community complaints and regulatory action. This article explores how AI-based noise classification improves the accuracy, efficiency and defensibility of animal noise monitoring and compliance assessments.

Transport for NSW released two updated documents in April 2025: the Road Noise Criteria Guideline and the Road Noise Mitigation Guideline. The criteria guideline supersedes Practice Notes I and III of the 2001 Environmental Noise Management Manual, and the Mitigation Guideline supersedes RMS 14.584 and Practice Notes (iv), (iv-a) and (iv-c).