The Queensland Treasury has published a draft Code of Conduct for Renewable Energy Developers to guide responsible behaviour and set expectations around best industry practice.
In our submission to the Queensland Treasury, we support the intention of the Code to assess and regulate social licence to ensure high performance across the industry. Our members recognise that strong community engagement, benefit sharing and responsible development are fundamental to the long-term success of renewable energy in Queensland, and to delivering the state’s energy system at the pace and scale required.
Our concern is with the design of the Code rather than the intent. The Code regulates matters that Queensland’s planning framework already addresses, and it does so at a point in the project lifecycle where the assessment cannot improve a project but can prevent it from operating. That combination adds cost without adding community benefit, and the cost is ultimately borne by Queensland electricity consumers. Our submission sets out 27 recommendations to address this and other issues in the draft Code.
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