Lessons learned from developing offsets in the Brigalow Belt of Queensland

Graeme Bartim is the chief environmental scientist for Origin Energy with more than 30 years’ experience in the environmental field, particularly in the oil and gas industry. Graeme has experience promoting visible and effective environmental leadership, achieving meaningful ecological outcomes, and developing and implementing robust environmental management systems. He manages Australia Pacific LNG’s extensive upstream offsets portfolio, operated by Origin Energy, involving six offset sites across several thousand hectares including fire prevention, weed and pest management, and threatened plant translocations. Graeme is also on the Technical Steering Committee for the Gas Industry Social and Environment Research Alliance (GISERA), which has a wide range of biodiversity research.

Laura Hahn has been director of Lorax Environmental Services since 2008. She holds a bachelor of environment and resource management (joint honours biology) from the University of Waterloo in Canada. Laura has been involved in finding, securing and establishing biodiversity offsets for Origin Energy and the Australia Pacific LNG Project since 2010 and other proponents since 2007. She has more than 20 years of environmental management experience in petroleum, mining, manufacturing and construction industries and local and state governments. Member: EIANZ (since 1996).

Benita Blunden is the lead environmental advisor—offsets with Origin Energy and holds a bachelor of applied science (natural systems and wildlife management) from the University of Queensland. Benita has more than 15 years of environmental management experience in upstream oil and gas. She has managed a wide range of projects, including being the assistant project management role for the GLNG EIS project and the environment and regulatory advisor on the PNG LNG Project.

Christopher Ewing has experience managing teams to identify and secure environmental offsets for a diverse range of large and complex projects for clients in the resource, energy and transport sectors. In the past four years, Christopher has been heavily involved in the rapid development of the environmental offsets market in Queensland. As a result, he has an understanding of Queensland and Australian Government environmental offset policies and offset market complexities. Christopher is presently working with several coal seam gas and coal mining companies in central Queensland to find, deliver and implement offsets for projects with a combined project footprint in excess of 100,000 ha.

Wendy Simpson is presently a senior environmental advisor with Origin Energy, working specifically on biodiversity offsets for the Australia Pacific LNG Project. Wendy is experienced in providing a range of environmental offset advisory and project management services to both private and public sector clients. She has managed a diverse mix of offset projects with requirements under Queensland and Australian Government environmental legislation and offset policies, from large scale resource and infrastructure projects to smaller scale development projects. Wendy has more than nine years’ experience in corporate, consultancy and state government roles. She holds a bachelor of environmental management (sustainable development with honours). Member: EIANZ.

Robert Coulson has four years’ experience as a consultant ecologist, joining Origin Energy in 2014. Robert holds a bachelor of applied sciences (EnvSc/Ecol) from the Queensland University of Technology and a master of environmental management from the University of Queensland. He has worked on environmental impact assessments, threatened-species surveys and offset strategies.

Tara D’Arcy-Evans is an environmental consultant at CO2 Australia. Tara holds a bachelor of science (ecology and zoology) with honours in wetland ecology from Monash University. Her key areas of expertise include ecological data management and analysis, development of environmental offset strategies, technical reports and offset area management plans. As a result of experience to date, Tara has a strong understanding of Queensland and Commonwealth environment legislation, associated offset policies and their application to development projects. She has three years of environmental offset experience in the resource, energy and transport sectors under local, state and federal government legislation.

Jaiben Baker is a senior environmental advisor with a broad practical and theoretical background gained from his 21 years’ experience in the agriculture, forestry, horticulture, state government and environmental management sectors, coupled with a bachelor of environmental science from Central Queensland University. He is based at the Australia Pacific LNG-owned Dukes Plain offset property in Central Queensland and is now overseeing and implementing biodiversity offset management plan objectives and initiatives. Member: Society for Ecological Restoration (SER).