Three key matters/questions suggested by Friends of Grasslands (FOG)

1. Biodiversity Working Group – offsets effectiveness project – some preliminary conclusions/issues identified • Three key matters/questions suggested by Friends of Grasslands (FOG) • Have procedural requirements been fulfilled? • Has environmental quality of the site improved? • Lessons to be learned to improve policy and practice • Desk top exercise • Developed criteria for assessing sites • Looked at 7 of the 15 sites on the ACT website register

2. Assessment Criteria • Offsets conditions: • What are key actions/conditions required? • Are actions/conditions being taken over and above legal requirements (eg regular monitoring programs)? • Have key actions/conditions been met? • How is biodiversity gain/improvement to be measured? • What is ha lost versus ha area improved/gained? • Is there net loss, no loss or net gain? • Is offset like for like? • Offsets plans: • Is a management plan in place/guiding actions? • Is plan reasonable/considered achievable? • Are urban or other buffers considered adequate? • Is fire management buffer in or out of offsets site?

3. Habitat improvements: • $ or resources invested in/on the ground • Other $ or resources and how allocated (e.g. salaries, consultants) • Period of investment – time limited or ongoing • What has actually been improved (e.g. connectivity, mid canopy layer)? • Monitoring & reporting: • Is there monitoring program/s required/in place? • What is monitored? • For what period is monitoring? • Has evaluation occurred or is committed/proposed? • Any evaluation outcomes • Have reporting conditions been met (e.g. to Commonwealth under EPBC Act)? • Are plans required to be publicly available/are plans publicly available (e.g. website register)?

4. Community Involvement: • Has there been meaningful community consultation or involvement? • Lessons Learned: • What has worked? • What has not worked? • Is the offset considered a success or failure, why?

5. 7 Sites assessed to date: • Bonner 4 East – extension of Mulligans Flat NR (GSM habitat) for Ngunnawal stage 2C residential • Watson Woodlands/Justice Robert Hope Park – BGW offset site for residential development (Bl 9/S64 Watson, Negus Cres extension) • Jarramlee NR (West Macgregor) – offset for Lawson South residential development (GSM habitat) • Molonglo Valley MNES – Kama NR, Molonglo River Park, BGW patches (BGW, NTG, PTWL habitat) • Murrumbidgee to Googong water transfer pipeline – 3 offsets sites in Williamsdale area (BGW, NTG, PTWL, 2 daisies, 1 pea plant)

6. Preliminary conclusions/issues identified • Outcomes range: seem OK, unclear on info available, too early to tell/be conclusive, will take time to assess outcome • Most are net loss of habitat at another site • Reporting requirements met mostly, minor delays in some cases; no reports available in 2 (Actew/AGL, Transgrid) • Number of large documents to read, not all in one place on web in some cases • Difficult to assess/determine actual outcomes on info available in documentation, whether there is improvement for species/community; some cases may take years before this is possible or clear • Untested restoration project (to facilitate EPBC Act approval) later deemed not achievable and no guarantee of success • Shifting offsets measure to another offsets site (due to inability to deliver at original site) – further delays

7. Preliminary conclusions/issues identified • “False offsets” – Kama already a reserve, JRHP was reserve enhanced by community/parkcare • Management plan delayed unreasonably (Molonglo -seemingly in order to change original boundaries/conditions) • Issue of Commonwealth in compliance – rubber stamping, no auditing • Planning push to change MNES Plan, preventing/delaying compliance (Molonglo) • Format of compliance reports helpful to track progress with conditions • May assist to more clearly identify major conditions from minor/construction related/administrative conditions • Implementation of offsets conditions in reserves managed by P&CS appears sound in terms of qualified staff, expert advice, on-ground works, monitoring programs

8. Acknowledgements: Jenny Bounds (Chair, Biodiversity Working Group) Sarah Sharp Geoff Butler Naarilla Hirsch Discussion & where to from here? Larry O’Loughlin (Executive Director, Conservation Council)

9. Three key matters/questions suggested by Friends of Grasslands (FOG) • Have procedural requirements been fulfilled? • Has the environmental quality of the site improved? • The lessons to be learned to improve policy and practice

10. Other 8 of 15 sites on register not assessed by BWG Isaacs Ridge – Mugga Lane RMC expansion, Hume Gungahlin Strategic Assessment - several offsets sites for Gungahlin residential expansion, including extension to Mulligans Flat Sanctuary Macgregor West 2 – residential estate Kama NR re-veg area – Clarrie Hermes Drive extension Yarralumla Equestrian Park – Campbell 5 development Pinnacle NR re-veg area – UCAN public hospital Extension to Gungaderra and Mulanggari grassland reserves – EPIC block 799 development (cabin/camping, accomm) Kings Hwy offset – deviation of highway Kowen http://www.planning.act.gov.au/topics/design_build/da_assessment/environmental_assessment/offsets_register