Queensland’s Parliament has passed The Planning (Social Impact and Community Benefit) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025, introducing significant reforms that will strengthen social licence requirements for renewable energy projects.
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Key changes in the Bill include:
- Requiring large-scale solar farms and wind farms to be impact assessable, with mandatory public consultation.
- Introducing a binding community benefit system that mandates social impact assessments and agreements between proponents and local governments.
- Making the State the assessment manager for large-scale solar farms to ensure consistent rules and certainty across Queensland’s 77 council areas.
The Clean Energy Council expressed its disappointment at the Queensland Parliament’s decision to pass its proposed renewable energy planning reforms without amendment.
The national peak body for the renewable energy sector is concerned that these new laws will add complexity, delay approvals for large-scale renewable projects and put much-needed investment in Queensland at risk.
Clean Energy Council National spokesperson Chris O’Keefe said, “We know the renewables industry hasn’t always gotten it right, but we value local communities and are working tirelessly with our members to put locals at the heart of our decision making, alongside energy consumers. That’s why we support the intent of these new laws.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Queensland to get the balance right. However, unfortunately, the most likely effect of this Bill won’t be to improve community benefits, it will be the exact opposite.
“We agree that communities must benefit, but this legislation imposes upfront processes that will frustrate good projects and could delay real outcomes. Renewables investors are already expressing hesitation to continue their projects in Queensland given timeframe uncertainty which risks stalling the roll out of clean energy to replace retiring coal and leading to higher household energy bills.
“Regional communities deserve a fair share of the opportunities created by renewable energy, and that benefit sharing is most effective when co-designed at the right stage of a project’s life cycle. By forcing that process too early—before a project is fully defined—the reforms risk creating unrealistic expectations for communities on projects that may not have any chance of being delivered. That could mean fewer local contributions and less certainty for councils, landholders and First Nations groups.
Since the planning reforms began in February this year, there have been no new large-scale development applications lodged with the state government.
O’Keefe said the Clean Energy Council would continue to advocate for a renewable energy planning framework that is practical, proportionate and genuinely supports transparent, place-based benefit sharing.
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“We urge the Government to work with industry to review the reforms and find a balanced way forward. The priority must be delivering affordable, reliable power for all Queenslanders and creating long-term regional jobs, while ensuring local communities see real and lasting benefits—the only way to get there is through investment in renewables which this law puts at risk,” O’Keefe said.
