Legislation came into effect last week which aims to empower communities on renewable energy projects.

The Planning (Social Impact and Community Benefit) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025, introduces significant reforms that strengthen social licence requirements for renewable energy projects and consistent development assessment rules across the state. The changes include:

• Impact assessment requiring mandatory public notification for proposed large-scale solar farms as well as wind farms.
• A community benefit system, featuring Social Impact Assessments that includes community and stakeholder engagement, and Community Benefit Agreements negotiated with local Councils.
• The State as assessment manager under a new partnership with local governments for large-scale solar farms to ensure consistent rules and certainty across all 77 council areas.

This article appeared in On Our Selection News, 24 July 2025.