EPBC changes: what engineers should know
As climate impacts intensify, biodiversity loss is increasingly influencing project risk, regulatory approvals, community expectations and long-term asset performance.
For engineers, this is no longer a peripheral environmental issue — it is a core consideration in planning, design, construction and whole-of-life asset management. This session will examine how climate change and development pressures are affecting biodiversity, and unpack the practical implications of the 2025 reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) framework. Participants will gain clarity on staged implementation through 2026, emerging National Environmental Standards, and the evolving “unacceptable impacts” threshold. The discussion will focus on where engineering decisions most influence biodiversity outcomes — including site selection, footprint optimisation, construction methodology, water quality management and contamination controls — and how to embed avoid-minimise measures into project documentation and governance processes.
Learning outcomes
In this presentation, you will:
- know what changed in the 2025 EPBC reforms and what staged commencement through 2026 means for projects (e.g., National Environmental Standards; “unacceptable impacts” tests)
- want clarity on where engineering decisions most influence biodiversity outcomes (site selection, footprint, construction methods, water quality, contamination management)
- learn practical ways to evidence avoid–minimise measures, integrate nature into design, and prepare decision ready documentation aligned with the evolving EPBC settings
- apply a take away checklist to embed biodiversity and climate considerations in live projects, plus prompts to lead cross disciplinary conversation within your organisation and with stakeholders.
Program
- 5.15 pm AEST: Registration opens and networking begins
- 5.30 pm AEST: Event begins
- 6.30 pm AEST: Q&A
- 7.00 pm AEST: Event concludes and guests depart
