Australia and New Zealand’s contaminated land sector has undergone a wave of transformation in FY2025. It challenged convention, showed marked regulatory evolution and reinvigorated approaches to innovation, culturally driven collaboration, and sustainability led project delivery.
Our Head of Growth Remediation, Scott Carroll talks to the Australasian Land and Groundwater Association about the transformations seen in FY2025 for the sector.
Policy Reform & Regulatory Maturity
FY2025 brought long-awaited regulatory movement across both nations. In Australia, the release of the PFAS National Environmental Management Plan (NEMP) Version 3.0 in March 2025 marked a significant and long anticipated milestone. NEMP 3.0 introduced updated guideline values for PFAS in soil, water, and biosolids, and provided new frameworks for risk-based reuse of PFAS-impacted materials. It also included ecological guidelines for wildlife exposure and human health investigation levels for residential land uses. How is this positive I hear you ask? More Changes!!!
Well, the guidance dropped in and this would have immediate implications, oops! For example, a remediation project in regional Victoria involving PFAS-impacted biosolids had to pivot mid-project to align with the new reuse thresholds, prompting a call for consideration of a staged approach to be proposed. New South Wales have taken the opportunity to do just that and keep those projects already underway, aligned and compliant with NEMP 2.0, with new projects required to align with the latest version.
Speaking of New South Wales, the Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer (OCSE) released its long-anticipated review on the management of asbestos in recovered fines and materials for beneficial reuse. This review, commissioned in response to concerns about legacy asbestos risks in recycled soils and construction materials, proposed a more transparent, risk-based framework for asbestos thresholds, sampling, and reuse criteria. The OCSE’s final report, delivered in December 2024, challenged the long-standing “zero tolerance” approach to asbestos in waste and recommended a risk-based threshold model – noting the disproportionate burden placed on recycling facilities under current regulations. One small step for common sense….one Giant Leap for regulatory policy!
The OCSE’s recommendations are expected to reshape how asbestos-contaminated soils are assessed and managed—particularly in urban redevelopment zones. Watch this space!
Meanwhile, in New Zealand, the Natural and Built Environment Act was introduced, and withdrawn – but the process has prompted discussion and healthy debate over what can be achieved when attempting to reduce the large volumes of soil being disposed of at landfills unnecessarily, and prompted some regional councils to modernise assessment frameworks.
In the Waikato region, a collaboration between council, mana whenua and industry practitioners enabled the integration of mātauranga Māori in delineating remediation objectives, and reimagined the possible outcomes for a former tannery site, reframing the site’s future as a restored wetland rather than a rezoned commercial precinct. The impact of this precedent is yet to be fully realised, but I look forward to hopefully seeing more of this type of approach.
Technology as a “Remediation Accelerator”
Rise of the AI, and digital innovation has also been a theme. Tools like AI-powered conceptual site models and 3D visualisation platforms are becoming readily available and more mainstream, revolutionising how risks are communicated and decisions made. I would temper this exciting advancement though and say – there are some downsides. Like anything, overuse and over-reliance does not generally lead to a good outcome in the longer term and there are a few risks involved as these systems become part of the day to day. Still, without innovation and progress, our industry would not have achieved what we have, to date.
Emerging low-carbon techniques also gained some traction. In Queensland, a pilot trial combining biochar injection and electrokinetic remediation achieved significant reductions in heavy metal mobility, allowing for long-term land stewardship under industrial use. Some more work to do to take this approach to the next level and close some knowledge gaps, but there’s no smoke without smouldering, as the saying goes…
Cultural Collaboration & Social Equity
An important evolution in FY2025 was the discussion around the benefits of culturally attuned remediation. In both countries, environmental professionals engaged more deeply with Indigenous knowledge systems and TEK, recognising land not just as a technical challenge but as a living landscape with social identity. At the New Zealand ALGA Contaminated Land and Groundwater Conference, a number of high-quality presentations and panel discussions shed light on the wealth of knowledge that is out there – all we have to do is engage. Bring the community on the journey as we all work towards the common goal of providing an environmentally sound situation for the next generation to inherit and take forward.
A step in this direction could be seen in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, where a joint iwi-council initiative took the view of a former landfill not being just a waste management legacy but also, as a spiritual reconnection site. The remediation plan prioritised groundwater protection alongside native revegetation, giving rise to a dual-functioning public park and environmental education space.
Is it finally possible to say that remediation is no longer only about compliance? Instead, maybe the focus should be on co-designing legacies of care.
Market Forces, Risk, and Opportunity
Economic headwinds are an undertone and not one any industry likes to have lingering, however it hasn’t seemed to dampen sector activity too much. Sharpening the focus on unlocking value from underused land has been a term used in parliament of late, with residential and infrastructure pressures growing, and an Olympics fast approaching, brownfield redevelopment is well and truly back on the radar.
Opportunities have been recognised too. In Auckland, the rejuvenation of former rail lands navigated legacy diesel contamination using a staged cap-and-reuse model as opposed to the traditional dig and dump, transforming one site into a transit-oriented residential hub. The rise of ESG-driven investment, has also leant more natural capital value to soil remediation and flood resilience initiatives.
In Australia, insurance and investment communities continue to lean into climate-adjusted risk models as reporting requirements edge closer to enforcement.
Upskilling for the Future
ALGA, continues to lead the way in emerging professional initiatives through mentoring, technical workshops, and networking events. As we look to embrace a changing of the guard, knowledge transfer must become a strategic industry priority.
In October, ALGA’s flagship ecoforum 2025 Conference in Brisbane, is expected to further support this transition, offering a platform for cross-generational dialogue and technical exchange. I look forward to seeing what the Emerging Professionals Special Interest Group has in store for us throughout the course of the conference.
What’s Next: Sustainability, Synergy, Stewardship?
To me, the FY2025 theme was about transition. Outcomes from many years of work by key industry figures who have never given up pushing for a better approach, were achieved and we step into an era of regulator and industry collaboration on topics of shared interest. Looking ahead to FY2026, I expect to see further progress in the following key areas:
- Renewed invigoration for Nature-based remediation, particularly around Bioremediation and phytotechnologies
- Decarbonisation of remediation – A new rhyme to finally replace Dilution is the Solution to Pollution perhaps? Probably wishful thinking but, Lifecycle carbon costs will increasingly factor into remediation option analysis as these are more readily incorporated into ESG reporting requirements.
- The tangible value of cultural alignment. Investors, governments, and communities need to unite around land-use outcomes that are ecologically, culturally, and economically aligned. Some good groundwork has been done in this space.
I like to view the contaminated land remediation sector not as simply cleaning up the past, instead, it’s designing the future. Transformation is indeed possible. The OCSE’s asbestos inquiry in NSW will hopefully serve as a useful blueprint for other jurisdictions grappling with legacy contaminants and resource recovery challenges, leading to progress and the next evolution of our industry.
By Scott Carroll, Liberty Industrial Head of Growth, Remediation