Welcome to this week's issue!
EIANZ has released the summary communiqué following the recent 2025 Insects in Crisis Symposium.
The symposium brought together experts to tackle the alarming decline of insect species, revealing that approximately 150 Australian species became extinct in 2024 alone.
With fewer than half of Australia's estimated 200,000-plus insect species formally described, experts discussed solutions including reforming environmental laws, increasing taxonomic research funding, and protecting micro-habitats. The symposium emphasised that immediate coordinated action is essential to prevent further extinctions and maintain the biodiversity that healthy ecosystems depend upon.
Read the communiqué →
As foreshadowed in our last edition, the Australian Government has brought forward plans to introduce new environmental law reforms to Parliament before the end of this year, rather than mid-next year as originally planned, citing the urgency of the housing crisis and the current performance against Australia’s 2030 emissions reduction target.
Environment Minister Murray Watt says that reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, in particular, will remove duplication between state and federal approval processes whilst establishing stronger national environmental standards. The wider legislation changes aims to protect Australia's natural environment whilst speeding up assessments and approvals for housing, jobs, renewable energy and critical minerals projects.
The reforms will focus on stronger environmental protection, more efficient project assessments, and greater transparency, based on recommendations from the 2021 Samuel Review. A new Federal Environmental Protection Agency will be established as part of the changes, with consultation continuing on its structure. The Government is also fast-tracking assessment of over 26,000 homes currently being processed and trialling AI to streamline approvals.
Learn more →
Read the Environment Minister's media release →
The Australian Government is turning to artificial intelligence as part of efforts to address the housing crisis, with trials also set to influence how environmental assessments and approvals are handled.
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) will establish a specialised strike team to work through more than 26,000 projects awaiting EPBC Act approval. AI will be piloted to accelerate assessments and reduce administrative burden, though the government maintains that environmental standards will not be compromised.
Residential updates to the National Construction Code will be paused until mid-2029, with AI also being tested to make its 2,000-page requirements easier to navigate. While driven by housing supply pressures, these measures signal how AI could reshape assessment and approval processes more broadly–raising important questions about efficiency gains, decision-making consistency, and the safeguarding of environmental outcomes.
Members interested in future impacts of AI might consider enrolling in EIANZ’s popular AI Black Belt training, which focuses on how AI is likely to affect environmental professionals.
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Independent MP Zali Steggall is introducing a bill to strengthen Australia's climate resilience, arguing the government is ignoring major economic threats from climate-related disasters. A 2020 Deloitte report warned that natural disasters could cost Australia $73 billion by 2060, up from $38 billion at the time.
Steggall's Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation) Bill 2025 proposes five-yearly national risk assessments, adaptation plans, and annual progress reports. She criticises the government for sitting on a national risk assessment that was due before the election and calls for stronger 2035 climate targets alongside investment in resilience measures.
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The EIANZ 2025 Impact Assessment Symposium was in full-swing this week in Sydney! We thank all presenters and delegates for their attendance and for making it a remarkable event.
The symposium successfully challenged the field's focus on streamlining processes by redirecting attention toward achieving better environmental and social outcomes. Practitioners, regulators, and researchers collaborated on five key themes:
- Developing intended outcomes
- Overcoming barriers to outcomes-based approaches
- Ensuring integrated assessment
- Improving follow-up processes
- Enhancing strategic environmental assessment.
Delegates gained practical methods to evaluate IA effectiveness beyond speed metrics while learning to defend critical elements like community engagement by demonstrating their value to outcomes. The event equipped participants with actionable strategies to implement outcome-focused approaches that maintain rigour while delivering meaningful results. The symposium successfully reframed excellence in Impact Assessment around effectiveness rather than efficiency, enabling professionals to better respond to emerging trends in their changing field.
Thank you to our sponsors: Niche, Ausecology, WSP, APEM Group, AARC, Attexo, Biosis and bd infrastructure
Thank you to our Technical Committee–Lachlan Wilkinson, Garry Middle, Jamie McMahon and Paul Greenhalgh, for delivering such an engaging event!
Further to our coverage in a previous edition, the Australian Government has committed an additional $12 million to help states and territories prepare for a potential H5 avian influenza (bird flu) outbreak, providing equipment like mobile laboratories, drones and response trailers.
This funding is part of a broader $100 million investment to strengthen Australia's surveillance and response capabilities against H5 bird flu. Australia remains the only continent free from H5 bird flu, but wild bird movements pose an ongoing risk to Australian wildlife and poultry industries. The announcement coincides with National Biosecurity Week and adds to the government's $2 billion commitment to biosecurity since the 2022 election.
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Australia's first large-scale soft plastics recycling facility has opened on the NSW Mid North Coast, offering hope for resuming household soft plastic recycling after the REDcycle scheme collapsed in 2022.
The Soft Plastic Processed Engineered Commodity (SPEC) facility can process up to 14,000 tonnes of soft plastics annually, turning items like bread bags and chip wrappers into pellets and flakes for new products, and is the only facility in the Southern Hemisphere capable of sorting different types of household soft plastics. The plant has already processed tens of thousands of tonnes of leftover REDcycle waste and recently received $9.1 million in government funding to expand capacity to 24,000 tonnes per year.
The facility's success depends on community demand for recycled products and will support advanced chemical recycling processes that can convert plastic waste back into food-grade materials, creating true circular economy outcomes.
Learn more→
Australian State and Federal Governments are trialling an innovative air bubble curtain technology to protect Australia's giant cuttlefish from harmful algal blooms in the Upper Spencer Gulf. The 200m x 100m underwater barrier will safeguard between 50,000-80,000 cuttlefish eggs and hatchlings by preventing algae movement through the breeding area.
The first-of-its-kind installation in South Australia will only activate if the algal bloom reaches Point Lowly, where the current cuttlefish population stands at approximately 63,000. The protective measure represents a collaborative effort to preserve this iconic marine species during its critical breeding season from late October through November.
Learn more →
Read the Environment Minister's media release →
Two new NSW parliamentary committee inquiry reports focus on how the state’s planning system manages environmental and social risks–one examining the integration of climate change, the other the impacts of Renewable Energy Zones (REZs) on rural communities.
Report No. 24: Planning system and the impacts of climate change on the environment and communities
Examines how climate change should be integrated into NSW’s planning system, recommending amendments to embed emissions targets and climate risks into environmental planning laws.
Report No. 62: Impact of Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) on rural and regional communities and industries in New South Wales
Investigates the impact of Renewable Energy Zones on rural communities, calling for better cumulative impact assessments, mental health support for affected landholders, and improved social impact assessments before further REZ approvals.
Together, the reports point to incremental reforms in areas such as council capacity building, biodiversity offsets, and consultation processes, rather than major structural change.
Report No. 24 →
Report No. 62 →
This week, a rare left-spiralling garden snail was discovered in Aotearoa New Zealand. The snail, named Ned, has reproductive organs on the opposite side to normal snails, making it nearly impossible for him to find a mate.
Ned was found by illustrator Giselle Clarkson in her veggie garden in Wairarapa, who noticed something was different about his shell. New Zealand Geographic magazine has launched a nationwide campaign asking people to search their gardens for another left-coiled snail to help Ned find love. The campaign aims to connect people with nature and encourage families to explore their gardens, even though garden snails are considered pests in New Zealand.
Learn more →
Of interest
Australia
Scientists race to find weapons against South Australia's toxic algal bloom
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Will Nankervis named Australia’s new Ambassador for Climate Change
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Snow flurries forecast across four states as cold weather fronts push through Australia’s south-east
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Bundaberg bushland gifted for affordable housing amid push to keep green space
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First joeys born in unique wild koala breeding program on NSW mid-north coast
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August rain records smashed across NSW as thunderstorms and more rain loom in final week
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Increased autumn, winter rain set to increase spring bushfire outlook according to emergency services
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Bumper whale calving season a ‘sign of hope’ for South Australia’s oceans
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New Zealand
How should NZ prepare for expected challenges of climate change?
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Group of young Māori to attend COP30 in Brazil
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Details of talks on special interest wapiti herd revealed
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Penalties for breaching Resource Management Act hiked
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Wētā translocation marks species protection milestone
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Rare white kiwi spotted in broad daylight
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Global
Collapse of critical Atlantic current is no longer low-likelihood, study finds
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Traditional solutions in Spain combatting the challenge of modern heat waves
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Whale Legal Personhood: Could Understanding Whale Language Change the Law?
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If you'd like to respond to any of the news, contact us at office@eianz.org to find out how we can assist.
Professional development
Upcoming EIANZ events
View all upcoming EIANZ events →
Upcoming partner events
Open for submission
If you'd like to contribute to an EIANZ submission, contact us at office@eianz.org to find out how.
New
Strategic Examination of Research and Development: issues papers | Department of Industry, Science and Resources | Closes 30 September 2025
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Climate Risk Assessment | Parliament of Australia: Environment and Communications References Committee | Closes 10 September 2025
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Still open
Australian Heritage Council: Expressions of interest now open | Australian Heritage Council | Closes 31 August 2025
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Have Your Say: First Nations Clean Energy Program | The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | Closes 31 August 2025
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2025 Issues Paper Consultation | The Climate Change Authority | Closes 1 September 2025
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Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade Route National Heritage Assessment | Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | Closes 2 September
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Proposal to approve a reduction in the width of a marginal strip adjoining Opanuku Stream | Department of Conservation | Closes 5 September
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Upper Murrumbidgee Drought Operating Framework open for feedback | Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | Closes 11 September
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Greenwashing Inquiry | Parliament of Australia: Senate Standing Committees on Environment and Communications | Closes 12 September 2025
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Read EIANZ's previous submission →
Offshore carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) under the Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Act 1981 | Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | Closes 12 September 2025
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Select Committee on Information Integrity on Climate Change and Energy | The Australian Senate | 12 September 2025
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20th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora | Department of Conservation | Closes 15 September
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Application for a WARO concession by the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation | Department of Conservation | Closes 19 September
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Select Committee on PFAS (per and polyfluoroalkyl substances) | Parliament of Australia: Select Committee on PFAS | Closes 30 September
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Draft National Recovery Plan for the Golden sun moth | Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | Closes 2 October
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Offshore electricity infrastructure framework: draft research and demonstration licence guideline | Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | Closes 11 September| Closes 3 October
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ACCU Scheme Savanna Fire Management Methods Consultation | The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | Consultation period opens October 2025
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Aotearoa New Zealand’s World Heritage Tentative List | Ministry for the Environment | Closes 30 January 2026
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Opportunities for the development of a hemp industry in Australia | Parliament of Australia: Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee | Closes 30 July 2026
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Jobs board
Explore the newest opportunities advertised on our Jobs Board
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In case you missed it - headlines from last week's issue
Institute Insider #432
EIANZ 2025 Impact Assessment Symposium starts in one week
Australia's Treasurer pushes for EPBC Act overhaul before Christmas amid project delays
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announces $8.5m funding boost for South Australian algal bloom response
Aotearoa New Zealand scraps mandatory agricultural emissions reporting requirements
Australia's Environment Minister disappointed by failed global plastics treaty negotiations in Geneva
South Australia bans single-use plastics including straws and cutlery from September
EIANZ announces ANET 2026 conference with call for abstracts now open
Private email reveals WA Government's 'rosy spin' on damage to ancient Murujuga rock art
NSW Health finds PFAS health impacts small, advises against individual blood testing
DCCEEW seeks public input on endangered species trade ahead of CITES meeting
EIANZ founding president Tor Hundloe releases book on First Nations and non-Indigenous relations, The Golden Rule: To walk in each other's shoes
Thousands of monarch butterflies swarm WA town during annual garden festival
Read Institute Insider issue #432 here →
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