Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Scheme
Audit uplift
We continue to uplift audit quality across the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Scheme. Audits are an important compliance monitoring measure for the schemes we administer. Audits are used under the ACCU Scheme to give us independent assurance that scheme participants are correctly applying the method and reporting net carbon abatement.
Accuracy and complete applications and offsets reports
Legal right and eligible interest-holder (EIH) consent requirements continue to be the main cause of Requests for Information (RFIs). Other common issues include net abatement calculations, mapping and eligibility of carbon estimation areas.
To minimise RFIs, proponents should submit complete applications with clear, comprehensive evidence, ensure calculations are verifiable and compliant, and maintain strong data and record-keeping systems.
Applications that are incomplete, or where insufficient supporting evidence is provided, will trigger further scrutiny and action, including our refusal to consider incomplete applications. Our systems enable us to identify proponents with a history of providing inaccurate or incomplete applications. Repeated requests on the same issue may raise concerns about a proponent’s capability to run an ACCU project.
National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) Scheme and Safeguard Mechanism
2025–26 NGER reporting
The Emissions and Energy Reporting System (EERS) is now open for the 2025–26 reporting period. Reports must be submitted in EERS by the statutory deadline of 31 October. If the due date falls on a weekend or ACT public holiday, submissions are due the next business day. For the 2025–26 reporting year, the deadline is 2 November 2026.
All reporters are required to submit accurate reports on time. Extensions are not available and late or non-compliant reporting will result in penalties, including infringement notices.
Any reporter who has been advised of issues with previous NGER reports through an audit or directly by us should expect additional scrutiny of its 2025–26 NGER reports.
To assist with compliant NGER reporting, we have enhanced our NGER reporter support dashboard ahead of the new reporting season. The dashboard provides updated reporting guidance, calculators, training videos and information on legislative amendments and compliance monitoring.
Beach Energy Ltd (Beach) enforceable undertaking
In July 2025, Beach Energy Ltd entered an enforceable undertaking with the CER. The undertaking commits Beach Energy to a series of actions designed to strengthen the internal control systems to support accurate and compliant NGER reporting.
To date, Beach Energy has met its obligations, which included development and implementation of a comprehensive and documented system of controls. We will continue to monitor Beach Energy’s compliance with the enforceable undertaking.
Any NGER reporter who has been advised of issues with previous NGER reports through an audit or directly by us should expect additional scrutiny of its 2025–26 NGER reports.
Safeguard Mechanism
Fitzroy (CQ) Pty Ltd has met its obligations under the Safeguard Mechanism for 2024–25, fulfilling the requirements under the enforceable undertaking entered into in April 2025.
Fitzroy (CQ) Pty Ltd has surrendered the required 546,906 prescribed carbon units. Fitzroy has also conducted 3 feasibility studies to investigate carbon abatement opportunities.
Renewable Energy Target (RET)
Success of 2025 Quarter 1 Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs) surrender
The statutory deadline for surrendering STCs for Q1 2026 was 28 April and 100% of certificates were surrendered on time. This marks the fifth consecutive quarter with full compliance and no entities in shortfall.
Development of AI to detect non-compliance with critical battery labelling requirements
From 1 March 2026, additional photo requirements were introduced for solar battery installations, addressing common issues with critical labelling. Installers are now required to take clear, geotagged and timestamped photos of critical labelling. This is in addition to existing installer on-site verification photos.
To support efficient compliance monitoring, the CER has deployed an artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted image analysis tool. The tool helps CER officers quickly identify installations where required labels may be missing from submitted images and detect potential issues with image metadata.
CER officers assess all flagged cases and make the final determination on compliance with legislative requirements.
The tool is now live. Our transparency statement on AI use can be found here.
Suspension of Asun Solar Pty Ltd
We have suspended the registration of Asun Solar Pty Ltd under the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000 on the basis that we are no longer satisfied that the company is a fit and proper person to participate in the scheme. This decision follows concerns regarding the company’s non-compliance with a statutory notice, as well as its failure to demonstrate the capability, competency and business practices expected of the registered person.
We have published clear guidance on the responsibilities and obligations of registered persons (also known as registered agents).
Suspension of companies not remaining fit and proper
We have permanently suspended 21 companies previously operating in the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme because they no longer meet the relevant fit and proper person requirements. The main impetus for this action is that these companies were deregistered by ASIC and are, as a result, not legal persons.
Installer onsite verification selfies
We have identified instances where installers have submitted installer onsite verification (IOV) selfies that do not accurately represent the accredited installer recorded for the installation.
Installers, retailers and agents were recently reminded that all information and evidence provided for STC creations must be an accurate and truthful reflection of activities conducted on site. Providing false or misleading information may result in compliance action against both the installer and the registered agent.
Targeting incomplete installations
We have issued a notice of intention to declare a solar retailer ineligible to make solar retailer written statements under the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Regulations 2001. This follows preliminary findings of repeated and material non compliance, including the provision of false or misleading statements in relation to several solar photovoltaic (PV) installations where systems were declared complete and capable of generating electricity when they were not.
The proposed declaration would prevent the retailer from supporting the creation of STCs for a period of up to 3 years.
For solar PV installations to be eligible to claim STCs, the system must meet the requirements under the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000 and the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Regulations 2001. Under the Regulations, a solar PV installation is not eligible for STCs if the unit is not complete or capable of generating electricity. Registered agents are reminded that it is their responsibility to ensure that they have evidence that the solar PV installations, for which they create STCs, are complete and capable of generating electricity.