You need to report on your project to the Clean Energy Regulator and may report as frequently as every month where allowed for in the legislative rules made under the Carbon Farming Initiative Act (2011). Audits are required where indicated in your project’s audit schedule, which the Clean Energy Regulator will provide following registration of your project. These reports are called project or offsets reports.
For land and sea transport projects, the first project report must be made between six months to two years from the date the project was registered and then up to every two years thereafter. Under section 68 of the legislative rules, large projects can have a shorter reporting period.
Part 5 Division 1 of the method lists the information that must be included in your reports. If one or more elements of a project change at any time after registering the project, the report must include details of the change (see section 53 of the method). Other record-keeping requirements are specified in sections 57, 100 and 101 of the legislative rules.
Applications for ACCUs can be made at the same time as you submit your project and audit reports. Full reporting, record keeping and monitoring requirements are set out in regulations and rules made under the Act. You should familiarise yourself with these requirements.
The role of audit
Audits assess whether a project complies with the project registration, the relevant method and legislative requirements. Audit reports must be prepared by a registered Category 2 or 3 greenhouse and energy auditor. A list of auditors is available.
The Clean Energy Regulator recommends you engage your auditor early when developing your project to ensure the project is auditable and to assist the auditor to plan activities throughout the reporting and post‑reporting periods. The costs of any audit are your responsibility or the responsibility of your organisation. You must make available to the auditor all necessary documents and information, including data records, receipts and other supporting documentation, and calculation spread sheets. For more information about auditing your project see Participating in the Emissions Reduction Fund