[Interactive Webinar] 2025 AEBN NATIONAL CONFERENCE: ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY: New Laws, Developments & Funding from across Australia for BUSINESS in 2025

PROGRAM

10.00am

Tina Khoury – CEO,
Australian Environment Business Network (AEBN)

• Welcome and Introduction

10.05am

Kim Maxwell and Lelanie Smuts – AEBN Facilitators,
Australian Environment Business Network (AEBN)

• Webinar Guidance and Introduction of presenters

FEDERAL:  ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE, CARBON MANAGEMENT AND ENERGY

Climate Change

10.10am – 11.00am

Victoria Cross
Partner, Corporate Sustainability and Climate Change
ERM

• Australia’s New Mandatory climate-related financial disclosures and the Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards (ASRS) – new laws commence 1 Jan 2025
• Update on ESG Regulations in Australia, incl in key jurisdictions such as UK, EU, US, the Netherlands, France
• The work businesses need to do to turn your climate and net zero strategy into a transition plan: Turning your climate targets into reality; and
• Q&A

Carbon Management

11.00am – 11.40am

Jane Wardlaw
General Manager, National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting & Safeguard Branch
Clean Energy Regulator

Issues arising in 2025 that will impact businesses:

• Safeguard Mechanism updates including compliance deadline(s)
• Market interactions/ACCU Scheme
• Emerging markets: The Nature Repair Market, and others
• The Guarantee of Origin (GO) legislation and the responsibilities of businesses
• Q&A 

11.40am – 11.55am (15 min) – TEA BREAK

Renewable Energy for Corporates

11.55am – 12.45pm 

Gilles Walgenwitz
Partner and General Manager, Energy Markets
ERM

Navigating the renewable energy transition: Challenges and Strategies for Corporates:

• Part 1:  Challenges in renewable energy transition:
  • Prices increasingly influenced by weather driven events impacting demand and supply
  • Volatility in near-and medium-term futures prices likely to persist, increasing time-to-market risk
  • High levels of variability in intra-day spot prices expected to continue
• Part 2:  Risk management strategies:
  • Progressive purchasing to manage time-to-market risk. – Can be a short-term hedge, but limited by ASX trading horizon
  • Increase load flexibility and behind the meter generation. – Typically, an effective complementary strategy, but often lacks the scale to be effective on its own
  • Long term renewable electricity contracting. – If well-structured, long term national electricity market (NEM) transition risks can be managed effectively
• Part 3:  Renewables contracting market trends
  • Corporate renewable electricity contracting market expected to double by 2030
  • Increase competition from other buyers
  • Renewable Energy Zones (REZs) and Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) potentially creating a more competitive contracting market in 2025
  • Introduction of Renewable Electricity Guarantee of Origin (REGO) scheme
• Concluding remarks and key takeaways
• Q&A

FEDERAL, QLD, WA, NT, TAS:   Legal Perspective

12.45pm – 1.10pm 

Gabrielle Guthrie – Principal, Guthrie Legal

• A legal perspective of the changes that will impact businesses, including changes within the Commonwealth, QLD, WA, NT, TAS; and Trends in prosecutions, including –
  • Greenwashing laws:  ASIC’s 2025 enforcement priorities that relate to greenwashing
  • WA Environmental Approvals Reform
  • and much more…
• Q&A

1.10pm – 1.40pm (30 min) – LUNCH BREAK

VICTORIA

1.40pm – 2.05pm

Lee Miezis – Chief Executive Office, EPA Victoria

• Environmental compliance changes in 2025; initiatives for businesses with operations in Victoria and EPA Victoria’s expectations of Victorian businesses
• Q&A

2.05pm – 2.35pm

Stefan Fiedler – Principal, Russell Kennedy Lawyers

• A legal perspective on Environmental Law in Victoria in 2025
  • Trends in enforcement
  • The next stage of Victoria’s Waste to Energy Scheme
    • The amended Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) (Waste to Energy Scheme Regulations 2023 (Vic) – what does this mean for businesses in Victoria
    • The next stage of Victoria’s Waste to Energy Cap Licence Regulations:  What you need to know

NEW SOUTH WALES

2.35pm – 3.00pm

Kay Baxter – Manager Policy, NSW EPA

• The NSW EPA’s Climate Change Policy and Climate Change Action Plan 2023-26, and how it impacts NSW businesses
• New Climate Change assessment requirements and guidance for proponents in the planning process
• A Protection of the Environment Policy for sustainable construction in public infrastructure projects
• Climate change mitigation and adaptation plans and best practice guidance
• Q&A

3.00pm – 3.15pm (15 min) – TEA BREAK

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

3.15pm – 3.40pm

Kathryn Bellette
Director Policy Assessment and Finance
SA Environment Protection Authority 

• Changes expected in 2025 that relate to Environmental and climate change compliance
• Q&A

FUNDING AND GRANTS FROM ACROSS AUSTRALIA FOR BUSINESS IN 2025

3.40pm – 4.00pm 

Andrea Ytuarte Orantes
Senior Consultant  
Anthesis (formerly Ndevr Environmental)

• Environmental funding and grants from across Australia for businesses in 2025

4.00pm – CLOSE

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Disclaimer

At the time of registration, AEBN provided the most recent information available and the delegate and/or speaker accept that the content and/or the delivery of the event can change beyond the control of AEBN. AEBN will not take any responsibility for any errors, omissions and changes to the program or content of the event. The AEBN reserves the right to make changes as it deems necessary without penalty and in such situations no refunds, part refunds or alternative offers shall be made.