Environmental offsets occur as an attempt to compensate for natural values lost through development activity.
Environmental offsets have become commonplace in environmental legislation across Australia including in Queensland.
About offsets
The delivery of environmental offsets can mean many different things, but generally refers to the following:
- planting native species that are consistent with the existing regional ecosystem
- mulching for erosion control, soil moisture retention and weed suppression
- placing coarse woody debris (including logs, old tree stumps and large branches) to provide immediate habitat and refuge for fauna. Coarse woody debris used within restoration sites is sourced from storm clean-ups or development sites, that would have otherwise been chipped or mulched
- installing natural and/or artificial hollows, perches and nesting sites in existing trees, or on habitat poles, to provide a safe place for local wildlife
- weed management and existing native vegetation maintenance including ecological burns.
Within the Ipswich local government area (LGA), environmental offsets can be triggered in three primary ways:
- an offset for a Matter of National Environmental Significance (MNES) triggered through the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and conditioned by the Australian Government
- an offset for a Matter of State Environmental Significance (MSES) triggered through State legislation (typically the Planning Act 2016) and managed through the Queensland Environmental Offsets Act 2014
- an offset for a Matter of Local Environmental Significance (MLES) triggered and conditioned through council's Planning Scheme and managed through the Queensland Environmental Offsets Act 2014.
Please note: As of August 2021 Ipswich City Council does not have a statutory set of MLES recognised by the definition in the Environmental Offsets Act 2014 and has therefore not collected any MLES offset. It is likely that Council will adopt MLES once the review of the Ipswich Planning Scheme is complete.
Council's Environmental Offsets Policy
Ipswich City Council has adopted an Environmental Offsets Policy (PDF, 497.6 KB) that sets key principles and direction for the various levels of offsets that occur within the Ipswich LGA.
This includes:
- how council responds and assesses requests for use of council land to deliver a third-party proponents offset requirement
- ensuring all offsets are undertaken transparently and in compliance with relevant offset legislation
- requiring council to keep an environmental offset register and ensure this is publicly available.
Please note: in this context Environmental Offsets does not include Offsite Stormwater Quality Improvement Program contributions, nil net loss component of Implementation Guide No. 19 or other offset mechanisms outside of the Queensland Environmental Offsets Act 2014 or Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
ICC Register of Environmental Offsets
As part of the adoption of the Environmental Offset Policy (PDF, 497.6 KB), Council has committed to keep a register of environmental offsets that have either been conditioned or delivered within the Ipswich Local Government Area.
This includes all offsets under the EPBC Act where Council has not been a decision maker.
However, given there is no Federal level offset register, Council has endeavoured to collate all applications into one place.
View the ICC Register of Environmental Offsets (XLSX, 490.9 KB)
Please note the disclaimers at the head of each sheet within the register.
This document includes MNES, MSES and MLES and is current as of July 2024.