Legislation passed to enshrine regional Queensland rights on renewables and streamline Games delivery
Posted on July 2nd, 2025
The Planning (Social Impact and Community Benefit) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 introduces significant reforms that will strengthen social licence requirements for renewable energy projects and consistent development assessment rules across the State.
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.
- Amending the Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games Arrangements Act 2021 to streamline the delivery of generational Games infrastructure.
- Updating the Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 to ensure continued protection for homeowners under the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme.
Statutory guidelines and tools to support implementation of the new community benefit system have already been made available in draft. These will be finalised and rolled out in the coming weeks to prepare local governments and industry stakeholders for the commencement.
For more information on the planning framework for renewable energy development, visit: www.planning.qld.gov.au/regulating-renewables
Read full media statement here: https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/102905
