To assist Signatories in maintaining best practice engagement, integrity and accountability during this period, the Administrator has issued this statement as a reminder of their existing FPIC commitments as set out in the Code.
The Human-induced regeneration of a permanent even-aged native forest (HIR) method will expire on 30 September 2023. This may affect proponent applicants who are considering registering a new project or in the process of registering a new project under this method.
The Clean Energy Regulator (Regulator) has released Guidance for ACCU Scheme participants impacted by the expiry (or sunsetting) of an ACCU Scheme method. As part of this guidance, the Regulator has requested all project participants to adhere to the Regulator’s Native Title, legal right and eligible interest holder consent guidance, and to follow the best practice principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) when planning to run a project on land subject to Native Title. The Regulator has stated that wanting to register a project before a method expires is not a valid reason for failing to adhere to the guidance.
Under the Code, Signatories agree to not only meet their legal obligations but also strive to implement best practice standards, including to engage with and obtain the FPIC of Indigenous peoples when planning to run a project on land subject to Native Title, Native Title Claims, Traditional Owners or other Indigenous stakeholders.
The Code asks Signatories to practice a higher standard for this than what is legally required. The relevant Code commitments specifically applying to this situation are detailed in the Administrator’s Statement below.
Click below to view and download the Administrator’s Statement.
