1. Environmental Offsets in the ACT

2. Offsets allow environmental degradation in one area so long as it is matched by a commensurate gain somewhere else. Offsets apply the avoid, minimise/restore, offset hierachy. What are environmental offsets?

4. Environmental offsets required for matters of national environmental significance (matters of NES) under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and for ACT protected matters.

5. Policy framework Legislation Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 Planning and Development Act 2007 Nature Conservation Act 2014 Policy EPBC Environmental Offsets Policy ACT Environmental Offsets Policy ACT Environmental Offsets Delivery Framework Tools EPBC Offsets Assessment Guide ACT Environmental Offsets Calculator Offsets register

6. Offsets Governance Stages in offset assessment and administration AreaPolicy Offset Package Assessment/A pproval Register of offset sites DeliveryCompliance Monitoring Outcomes Review of Effectiveness Tasks Policy Guidelines Assessment Tools Advance Offset identification Offset package development Strategic Assessment Individual project assessment Approval Include offsets on ACTMAPi and register of offsets sites Territory Plan Variations Research/ Offset Management Plans Funding Offsets compliance Offsets monitoring Review of Effectiveness Key responsibility Natural Environment team Developers Strategic Planning (for Strategic Assessments) ACT Planning and Land Authority Commonwealt h (EPBC decision maker) ACT Planning and Land Authority Developer Parks and Conservation Commonwealt h compliance ACT Planning and Land Authority Parks and Conservation Conservator of Flora and Fauna Parks and Conservation Conservator of Flora and Fauna Natural Environment team

7. MNES requiring offsets in the ACT White Box – Yellow Box – Blakely’s Red Gum Grassy Woodland Natural Temperate Grassland Striped Legless Lizard Golden Sun Moth Pink-tailed Worm-lizard Superb Parrot Swift Parrot L to R: Striped Legless Lizard, Golden Sun Moth and Superb Parrot

8. 2027 hectares of approved offsets Increasing Canberra Nature Park by approximately 20% Additional offsets will also be established as part of the Eastern Broadacre Strategic Assessment. These are expected to add an additional 720 hectares to CNP. Current distribution of Government offsets in the ACT

9. Useful websites Commonwealth http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/publications/epbc-act-environmental- offsets-policy ACT Websites http://www.environment.act.gov.au/cpr/environmental-offsets-policy http://www.planning.act.gov.au/topics/design_build/da_assessment/environme ntal_assessment/offsets_register http://www.tams.act.gov.au/parks-conservation/environmental-offsets