Overview
Australia’s national environmental legislation includes new ways for approval holders to acquit their offset obligations following reforms introduced through the Environment Protection Reform Act 2025. These reforms respond to longstanding concerns that offsets can be complex to deliver and may not always achieve strategic or landscape scale environmental outcomes.
Where available, approval holders will be able to pay a restoration contribution as a condition of project approval to compensate for residual significant impacts on protected matters. This option may be used instead of, or alongside, a proponent led offset or the Nature Repair Market.
Restoration contributions will help to streamline assessment and approval processes and reduce uncertainty and administrative burden for proponents. A new Restoration Contribution Holder will ensure transparency in managing funds and deliver restoration actions that align with long-term strategic objectives for protected matters.
We are consulting on the proposed methodology for calculating restoration contribution charges. We consulted on a draft restoration contributions methodology in 2024.
The main objectives of the consultation paper are to:
Seek stakeholder feedback on the methodology and its application.
Draw on insights from experts and stakeholders to test and refine assumptions.
Consultation documents
Proposed Methodology for Calculating Restoration Contribution Charges [PDF 457 KB]
Proposed Methodology for Calculating Restoration Contribution Charges [DOCX 232 KB]
Have your say
To have your say:
read the discussion paper: Proposed Methodology for Calculating Restoration Contribution Charges
complete the survey or upload a submission.
Submit your feedback by 11:59pm AEST, Wednesday 14 October 2026.
