On 16 October 2025, the Queensland Government introduced the Energy Roadmap Amendment Bill 2025 (Bill) to amend the Energy (Renewable Transformation and Jobs) Act 2024 (Energy Act) to align with and deliver on the Government’s objectives outlined in the Queensland Energy Roadmap (Roadmap). Our previous article on the Roadmap can be found here.
The Bill prioritises the facilitation of energy infrastructure and investment to deliver affordable, reliable and sustainable energy for Queenslanders. The Bill removes the renewable energy generation targets set by the former Labor Government, and introduces provisions to support emissions reduction, energy planning and infrastructure delivery.
Key amendments to the Energy Act
- Removal of renewable energy targets – The Bill repeals the former statutory provisions prescribing renewable energy generation targets, and redirects the focus to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation.
- Establishment of Regional Energy Hubs – The ‘Renewable Energy Zone’ framework will be renamed to ‘Regional Energy Hubs’ to promote coordinated, market-led development of energy infrastructure across generation, storage and transmission assets. These reforms will increase flexibility and support more efficient administration.
- Transmission and infrastructure provisions – The Bill improves the Priority Transmission Investment framework by supporting coordinated and efficient development of strategic transmission infrastructure. This will facilitate investment in new generation and economic growth across the regions. The Bill also establishes a framework to facilitate the declaration and delivery of major transmission infrastructure, including the CopperString Project. This includes the establishment of a regulatory head of power to assess the efficiency and costs of a project at each stage of construction.
- Statutory bodies and governance structures – The Bill dissolves several advisory and consultative bodies with the intent to reduce administrative complexity and streamline governance processes. These reforms are intended to deliver more efficient and tailored legislative frameworks that support the implementation of the Roadmap.
- Ownership and investment – The Bill confirms the State will retain 100 per cent public ownership of existing generation assets and provides for private sector participation in new generation projects.
Conclusion
Collectively, these proposed amendments to the Energy Act provide a clearer framework for the planning, regulation and delivery of Queensland’s energy infrastructure. The Bill gives legislative effect to the Roadmap, and establishes the foundation for future regulatory instruments and investment in the State’s energy system.
Status
The Bill has been referred to the Governance, Energy and Finance Committee (Committee) for detailed consideration. The Committee has invited all interested parties to make submissions on any aspect of the Bill. The guidelines for making a submission to the Committee are available here. The Government’s intent is to pass the Bill by the end of the year, and the current timeline for consultation is:
Public briefing: Monday 27 October 2025
Public hearings: Wednesday 29 October 2025
Submissions close: Thursday 30 October 2025
Committee Report due: Friday 5 December 2025
We will continue to monitor the progress of the Bill and will provide further updates as the Bill advances.
