Insights

Panellist: The Cost of Yes

I’m joining Mojo Soup’s live virtual panel on how governments prioritise infrastructure investment, alongside David Lockie (Mojo Soup) and Adrian Morey (OUTCOME).

Transform: one coherent roadmap to the regulator you need

A clear design doesn’t change anything on its own. Most regulators are already carrying a long list of reforms and improvement projects, but are they all pulling in the same direction? Transformation works when there is one coherent roadmap built around a shared picture of the regulator you need to become, so every initiative contributes to it. Part 2 of Design. Transform. Assure.

Queensland Protection Commission: more than the sum of its parts

Queensland’s new Protection Commission brings worker screening, reportable conduct, child safe standards and systemic oversight together under one regulator from February 2027. Legislation is the starting point. The value will come from the design work that happens next.

DCCEEW and the National EPA sign an MOU on their respective roles

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and the National Environmental Protection Agency have signed a memorandum of understanding. It confirms that the department retains overall environmental policy responsibility, while the National EPA conducts independent project assessments and compliance activity. Clear roles between policy and regulation, set out early, are a strong foundation for the reforms and for confidence in the system. It’s great to see the two organisations working so closely together from the start.

Source: LinkedIn

Beyond self-assessment: the Regulator Maturity Model and ANAO lessons

The Department of Finance’s Regulator Maturity Model gives Commonwealth regulators a shared language for capability. But assessing maturity is the beginning of the conversation, not the end. The value comes from diagnosing why gaps exist and planning action that addresses causes, not symptoms.

First project registered under the ACCU Scheme’s improved native forest management method

The Clean Energy Regulator has conditionally registered the first project under the improved native forest management method. It covers about 531,677 hectares of public native forest in north-east NSW over a 15-year crediting period. At this scale and over this timeframe, confidence will come from robust measurement, independent verification and transparent reporting on whether the committed changes are delivered. That’s what sustains the integrity of the carbon market.

Source: Clean Energy Regulator

Design the regulator the mandate needs

Reform often starts with initiatives, before anyone has agreed what the regulator needs to become. Why my approach starts with design, and one question.

AELERT 2026: Stop Fixing Symptoms. Start Fixing Systems.

I presented an interactive workshop at the AELERT 2026 Conference, Future Ready Regulation, in Melbourne, sharing an integrated approach for modern, trusted regulators: Design. Transform. Assure.

NSW Biodiversity and Heritage Regulator launches its Strategic Plan 2026–29

The Biodiversity and Heritage Regulator brings regulatory functions from across the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water together into one purpose-built regulator. It has released its first strategic plan within its first year. Setting clear strategic direction this early is what getting the Design right looks like: a shared understanding, for staff, stakeholders and the community, of the regulator’s priorities and how it will work. It’s a strong foundation for fair, consistent, risk-based regulation of biodiversity and heritage.

Source: NSW Government

Australia’s National Environmental Protection Agency begins operating

Australia’s first independent national environmental regulator commenced on 1 July 2026, with its CEO holding compliance and enforcement functions under the EPBC Act. Standing up a new regulator is a rare chance to design it well from the start: a clear mandate, sound governance and real independence. Independent, but not isolated.

Sources: National Environmental Protection Agency; DCCEEW