Strategic Offset Policy and Biodiversity Offset Guidelines · Report

ORDINARY MEETING                                                             17 SEPTEMBER 2026



REPORT
Developments and maintenance upgrade projects may sometimes have an impact to the
environment that may include vegetation removal, impact to threatened species habitat, impact to
marine or protected plants, or impacts to fish and aquatic passage.

Over the last two decades, legislation has been developed by State and Commonwealth
Governments that required offsets to be identified and delivered for impacts against matters of State
or Commonwealth significance. This includes:
•   Matters of National Significance listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity
    Conservation Act 1999 (C’wealth) – including but not limited to World Heritage Sites, Threatened
    Ecological Communities, and listed plants and animals.
•   Prescribed environmental matters under the State’s Environmental Offsets Regulation 2014
    (Qld) and related legislation, including but not limited to some listed animals and plants under
    the Nature Conservation Act 1992, prescribed regional ecosystem under the Vegetation
    Management Act 1999, section 8(b) and fish habitat area declared under the Fisheries Act 1994.
Noosa Council has developed a Biodiversity Offsets Framework comprising a Strategic Offsets
Policy and an accompanying Biodiversity Offset Guideline. Together, these documents establish a
consistent, best-practice approach to managing and addressing unavoidable impacts on biodiversity
and biodiversity offsets arising from Council operations, infrastructure delivery, and third-party
development.

The framework is grounded in the Noosa Corporate Plan and Environment Strategy, which set a
clear direction for achieving nature-positive outcomes, strengthening ecological resilience, and
supporting a low-carbon future. Council’s Environment Strategy 2019 includes targets for which
offsets are an important mechanism for achieving biodiversity and water quality outcomes:
•   By 2030 there is no net loss of ecosystem values across the shire;
•   By 2030 half of all land in Noosa Shire is managed for its environmental values;
•   By 2030 populations of key threatened indicator species remain viable;
•   By 2030 the Noosa River and Mary River catchments achieve an A rating for their environmental
    health.
Biodiversity offsets are recognised as an important tool within this broader environmental agenda,
particularly where impacts cannot be avoided or sufficiently mitigated.

The development of strong policy and guidelines reflects both local priorities and increasing global
scrutiny of offsetting practices, with a strong emphasis on ensuring offsets are credible, measurable
and deliver genuine conservation outcomes over time.

The development of the Draft Offsets Policy and Biodiversity Offsets Guideline is also a resolution
of a prior Ordinary Meeting – 15th September 2022 – Item 4, Pg 8 to: Bring forward a report on
Council’s Environment Offset Policy and associated guideline, after initial consultation has
concluded.

ISSUE
Biodiversity offsets are already required under a range of Commonwealth and State legislative
frameworks and are increasingly associated with Council infrastructure projects and third-party
development proposals. While Council currently is involved in biodiversity offset arrangements
where required, there is no overarching policy or governance framework that establishes consistent
principles, decision-making criteria and delivery expectations for offset proposals.

In the absence of a formal framework, offset opportunities have historically been considered on a