Environmental offsets are measures designed to compensate for the residual negative impacts on the environment by an action / project. In September 2012 the Commonwealth Government finalised the policy on how they use environmental offsets under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) . In addition to the Commonwealth requirements, there are also state jurisdiction requirements for offset measures for planned activities.

The purpose of this project is to investigate the opportunities for different industry sectors to better align and co-ordinate offsetting activities. This investigation will identify where co-ordination could be achieved and how improvements can be made that reduce the regulatory burden on prospective development whilst also aiming to achieve better environmental outcomes in the impacted region.