The NSW Net Zero Commission has opened a statewide Call for Evidence as it begins work on NSW’s first sector specific decarbonisation pathways, inviting businesses, industry, researchers, community organisations and individuals to contribute practical knowledge, data and experience.
Consultation opened on 18 June and closes at 5pm on Friday 31 July 2026. The pathways are being developed with CSIRO and Climateworks Centre and will outline how different parts of the NSW economy can work together to meet the state’s legislated emissions reduction targets.
The Commission says previous consultation has already provided a broad range of feedback on decarbonisation across NSW. New submissions, together with additional evidence from stakeholders, will help inform future policy advice and the assumptions used to model different emissions pathways. It says the aim is to ensure its advice and progress tracking are informed by current data and practical experience from the people and organisations with the closest knowledge of their sectors and communities.
Evidence sought across every sector
Rather than seeking responses to every consultation question, the Commission is asking contributors to focus on areas where they have direct expertise or lived experience.
The consultation examines opportunities and barriers affecting the transition to net zero, including infrastructure, investment, economic impacts, workforce change and technology deployment. It also considers behaviour change, sector specific transitions and equitable outcomes for First Nations peoples as well as regional, rural and remote communities.
Sector specific questions cover electricity and energy, transport, industry, resources, the built environment, land and agriculture, waste and carbon removals.
Within electricity and energy, the Commission is seeking evidence on renewable generation, transmission development, Renewable Energy Zones, consumer energy resources such as rooftop solar, household batteries, vehicle to grid technology and community batteries. It is also examining electricity demand, industrial load shifting, battery deployment, community engagement and the conditions needed to support the orderly closure of coal fired power stations.
Other consultation streams examine carbon management, landfill gas capture, circular economy initiatives, critical minerals, workforce transition and emissions associated with the resources sector.
Commercial information can remain confidential
The Commission is encouraging organisations to provide technical evidence that can strengthen pathway modelling, including cost modelling, deployment experience, investment pipeline information and facility level data.
Recognising that some of the most valuable information may be commercially sensitive, including investment pipeline information and deployment plans, the Commission is allowing submissions to be marked confidential. Information identified in this way will be used to inform modelling assumptions but will not be published in public documentation.
Following the consultation period, responses will be analysed and contributors may be contacted if further information is required.
Webinar to explain the submission process
To help potential contributors prepare submissions, the Net Zero Commission will host an online information session on Monday 29 June from 12.30pm to 1.30pm. Go here for information and to register.
The webinar will outline the objectives of the Call for Evidence, explain the types of information and preferred data formats being sought and include a live question and answer session with Commission representatives and project partners. Participants will also be able to submit questions before or during the session.
For businesses developing energy projects, investing in new technologies or planning future operations, the consultation provides an opportunity to contribute practical evidence that may help shape the assumptions used in NSW’s future decarbonisation pathways and the policy advice that supports them.
