Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Planting and maintenance contractors as well as the Wheatbelt Connect project team will require access to the leased area of land. This access will be via existing roads and with landowner’s permission, we may construct access tracks to enable land access. Access will be restricted to agreed evaluation, restoration, cultivation, monitoring and maintenance activities – all agreed with the landowner prior to visiting.

No. For a project to be eligible for registration with the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) under the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF), it must not have commenced prior to it being registered with the CER. Further information on eligibility can be found on the Clean Energy Regulator website.

The trees will be owned by Wheatbelt Connect and the land will be leased from the landowner.

Once registered with the ERF, to maintain the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) generation, the plantings must be maintained for a minimum 25 years. Any agreement needs to reflect this requirement plus an establishment period for planting and project set up, which is usually two years.

We will seek to lease land from a landowner for at least 25 years plus the establishment period. On the leased land, landowners will be asked to avoid undertaking activities that may damage or destroy the plants. This includes:

• Removing or destroying any plants on leased land.
• Grazing stock on the leased land within the first three years of planting seedlings, subject to Wheatbelt Connect approval.
• Storing or using any chemicals or dangerous substances on the leased land if it poses a danger to the plants.
• Carrying out any aerial crop spraying within the vicinity of the leased land (unless approved).

Please note that further restrictions may apply to certain high-risk activities to ensure the safety of contractors and personnel.

A landowner will need to provide access to the leased land, including allowing access to tracks (or construction of new access tracks) and infrastructure as required.

The Wheatbelt Connect project team will take every possible step to avoid damage to the leased land, including through:

• Maintenance and repairs on leased land.
• Rubbish and waste removal.
• Fire risk minimisation and management.

Any damage that we cannot repair will be paid for, or the landowner may charge the cost of the repair to the Wheatbelt Connect project.

To provide the certainty required to submit a project application under the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF), Wheatbelt Connect require a lease agreement covering the term of the project. This will be discussed individually with each landowner.

A landowner will be assigned a designated Project Manager who will be the key point of contact throughout the duration of the lease agreement.

Wheatbelt Connect prefer rental payments to the landowner, which will be calculated by the area of land intended to be leased and the outcomes achieved through an assessment process. The rental payments will be indexed over the lease term, and in certain circumstances either party may initiate a review.

Wheatbelt Connect recognise some landowners may prefer Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) as compensation for the leased area. This brings additional risk, and regulatory obligations for the landowner and the project, but will be considered if certain criteria are met. Independent financial advice must be sought if ACCUs are to be included in the lease arrangement.

A landowner’s main contribution will be allowing access to their land and the establishment of a carbon project. The landowner will continue to be responsible for payments such as rates and taxes that they are currently responsible for, in addition to the cost for services and utilities used on the land that is not leased to the project.

Wheatbelt Connect do not seek a monetary contribution and we may work with the landowner to undertake some maintenance activities.

We will cover the cost of:

• All project establishment costs.
• The difference between existing rates and taxes and the overall cost, if they are increased due to our activities on the leased land.
• Services and utilities we use on the leased land.

At the end of the lease agreement, the Wheatbelt Connect project will hand back the land to the landowner. The landowner will no longer be bound by the lease agreement and may manage and use their land as they wish, including its sale under ordinary terms.

It is the preference of Wheatbelt Connect to integrate revegetation projects into current farm practices and not revegetate entire properties. A focus of Wheatbelt Connect is to deliver projects on a proportion of a property or an individual paddock, however a minimum threshold of plantable area is required.

A landowner can sell or transfer leased land during the lease, providing the sale/transfer is made subject to the existing lease agreement. A landowner should talk first to their designated Land Management Coordinator because the Wheatbelt Connect project team will need to be notified as soon as possible and the new landowner will need to agree to the terms of the lease agreement.

The number of credits generated per hectare will vary dependant on the land used for the project. The number of credits issued for a project will be determined by the Full Carbon Accounting Model (FullCAM), which is a calculation tool for modelling Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions from the land sector.

When the trees are planted, they belong to Wheatbelt Connect during the permanence period under the ERF approval. Once the lease has been completed, the project proponent can transfer the ownership of the trees to the landowner.

The landowners will have the ultimate say, which will be agreed as part of the lease agreement process. The project team may seek to negotiate project areas to maximise ACCU generation and will share all key data inputs and analysis with landowners.

All responsibility and risk for the trees will be managed by the Wheatbelt Connect project team, subject to the landowner complying with their lease obligations.

This predominantly relates to avoiding activities that could materially damage the revegetation or the leased land.

Ideally the cash payments would be annual or twice yearly to simplify and minimise administration. These will be indexed to inflation using a publicly available metric, to be discussed with the landowner.

Lease rates will be site and landowner specific and predominantly influenced by the number of ACCUs that can be generated from the proposed site based on the FullCAM assessment. The commercial negotiations will be done in collaboration with the landowner and the Wheatbelt Connect project team.

Any cash lease agreement will ensure that the owner is paid for the provision of their land regardless of the carbon price.

Yes, in some cases, local governments have threshold triggers that require approval if more than a nominated percent of an existing landholding is converted to carbon farming. This will need to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Additionally, in paddocks with revegetation, stock will need to be excluded during the early growth stages. Landowners will need to be mindful of the impacts of activities undertaken alongside plantings and ensure due care and diligence is taken.

Care will be needed when undertaking herbicide application, stubble burning etc. However, any restrictions will be outlined through requirements and protocols and will be agreed upon by the landowners.

Yes, access ways can be maintained.

Once the plantation has matured, the landowner can seek written consent from Wheatbelt Connect, to allow for other agricultural uses, including grazing.

An ACCU is a carbon credit unit issued by the Clean Energy Regulator and represents one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2-e) stored or avoided by an established project. More information about ACCUs can be found on the Clean Energy Regulator website.

ACCUs are considered financial products and regulated by Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) under the Corporations Act 2001. This imposes additional compliance requirements for Wheatbelt Connect when dealing with ACCUs.

There is a wide range of potential tree growth rates and ACCU generation potential across landscapes, influenced by many factors including; species selection, plantation design, soil types, salinity, access to fresh water and how FullCAM assesses the land. The Wheatbelt Connect project team will assess the land in detail and provide an indication of how many ACCUs will be generated. The Wheatbelt Connect team have the knowledge and experience to maximise ACCU generation through clever species and plantation design on a case-by-case basis.

This would be a consideration of the landowner if they are concerned with the creation of habitats for these animals. If a problem were to develop, these would be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

Wheatbelt Connect would be responsible for maintaining the fire breaks in any leased area in accordance with a bushfire management plan and may engage the landowner to provide this service.

Wheatbelt Connect will be made up of a many separate plantings across a large area of land, so if a fire in any one area occurs, it will affect only a small percentage of the total project (if at all). Many Australian trees are adapted to fire and the loss of carbon due to fire can be recovered as the tree regrows. Note: this could extend the project period during the regrowth period. Wheatbelt Connect will also maintain fire breaks on the leased land to mitigate the risk of bushfires.

If there was a resource to be extracted that would impact the leased area, this would require further discussion and the third party responsible may be required to reimburse Wheatbelt Connect for the cost of the plantation and/or ACCU accumulation under that Emission Reduction Fund project.

Wheatbelt Connect will have public liability insurance in place for the leased area. We will indemnify the landowner for injury or property damage to the extent caused by our contractors or our people. The landowner will need to seek advice on public liability insurance that may be required for their own operations under the lease agreement.

Wheatbelt Connect personnel and contractors will be required to strictly follow all biosecurity requirements.

This is site dependent, herbicide application may be required prior to establishment, which will be similar to existing cropping systems. All associated costs will be covered by Wheatbelt Connect. The landholder may be engaged to complete this work.

Yes, however this is dependent on growth rates and species planted. Any grazing would need to be excluded for around three years.

Wheatbelt Connect has engaged many Wheatbelt nurseries and there is currently a sufficient capacity to meet the demand of the Wheatbelt Connect projects. Many of the nurseries are planning to up-scale in the short-to-medium term. Any additional nursery demands from Wheatbelt Connect will be covered by the extra production of existing nurseries. We aim to source high quality seedlings from proven nurseries.

Contracted employment means there may be the opportunity for landowners, that can competitively price their work, to be paid to undertake required activities for the establishment, management, compliance monitoring, harvesting of native biomass and potentially agricultural waste if they are interested and can demonstrate the required capability.

Alternatively, the Wheatbelt Connect team will aim to utilise local contractors to deliver this work in conjunction with landowners.