ACCU review panel members announced

The Australian Government has appointed three independent experts to complete the panel undertaking the Independent Review of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).
 
The Hon Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC, Ms Ariadne Gorring and Dr Steve Hatfield-Dodds join Professor Ian Chubb AC, who was appointed to chair the panel when it was first announced on 1 July.
 
The new members bring with them an impressive mix of the required skills, expertise and experience to advise the Government about the integrity of ACCUs.
 
This includes outstanding capability in governance, technical analysis and decision making, strong natural resource management experience and expertise in Indigenous land management and carbon projects. 
 
Carbon markets are a critical pillar of sustained emissions reduction. The independent panel will help ensure public confidence in the ACCUs market.
 
The Government wants to make sure the carbon crediting system remains a strong and credible scheme supported by participants, purchasers and the broader community.
 
The review will examine governance arrangements and legislative requirements, and the integrity of some of the key methods used. It will also consider how well the system contributes to the broader community, particularly in regional Australia where many carbon projects take place.
 
The panel will seek written submissions as well as have meetings with relevant academics and experts, First Nations groups, project proponents, aggregators, industry and consumer groups, business, the community, and relevant Commonwealth and State and Territory government agencies.
 
The panel will provide its advice to the Government by the end of December 2022.
 
Quote attributable to the Minister:
 
“A strong carbon crediting system will help Australia meet its emissions reduction targets and better support our regional economies. The expertise and experience of these new members will be invaluable in ensuring a comprehensive review of the ACCU system. I am confident that this review will lead to our carbon crediting system operating at the highest standard.”
 
Some information about members of the panel:
Professor Ian Chubb AC FAA FTSE has a long and distinguished career providing independent expert advice to government on a range of scientific and policy issues, including previously as Chief Scientist of Australia from 2011 - 2016. He is the Secretary of Science Policy for the Australian Academy of Science and the Chair of the Independent Expert Panel: Reef 2050 Plan. Professor Chubb has held a range of roles including Vice-Chancellor of the Australian National University from 2001 to 2011 and member of the Board of the Climate Change Authority. Professor Chubb continues to make an exceptional contribution to the strength and standing of public policy in Australia.

Ariadne Gorring is Co-CEO of the Pollination Foundation. With a mission to accelerate nature-based initiatives that put humanity at the heart of climate solutions, her work centres on bridging local to global knowledge and expertise. Working with the Kimberley Land Council (KLC) for over 20 years, she co-designed a cultural economy model to increase the flow of finance into the Indigenous Ranger Network, participated in the development of Northern Australia’s savanna carbon industry and has engaged with national and international networks to promote best practice models of Indigenous-led conservation. She was a Committee Member of the World Indigenous Network Conference in Darwin, and a Presenter at the World Parks Congress, Sydney, and the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Paris. She’s an Atlantic Fellow for Social Equity, Melbourne University, and recipient of The Nature Conservancy’s Barbara Thomas Fellowship in Conservation Financing.

The Honourable Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC is a retired Judge of the Federal Court of Australia.  She is currently Chancellor of Bond University; the Chair of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), an Arbitrator of the Court of Arbitration for Sport; Member of the Board of Directors of the Garvan Institute; and Chair of Gardior Pty Limited.  She has also served as a Commissioner with the NSW Law Reform Commission and as a Royal Commissioner into National Natural Disaster Arrangements.  Dr Bennett is a Fellow of both the Australian Academy of Science and Australian Academy of Law.
 
Dr Steve Hatfield-Dodds brings deep expertise and experience in the design, assessment, and modelling of market-based climate and sustainability policy options. Trained in economics, he is an honorary Professor of Public Policy at the Australian National University and an honorary Associate at Oxford Net Zero at Oxford University.  Dr Hatfield-Dodds has more than 30 years experience in the private sector, government, and research, including senior roles in business strategy and consulting, and working as Executive Director of the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) and CSIRO’s Chief Coordinating Scientist for Integration Science and Public Policy. He has published more than 125 papers and reports, including articles in Nature, Science, Agricultural Systems and Ecological Economics.