Reports
The Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer receives requests from the Premier and Ministers to deliver formal advice on a range of issues. The reports are published on this website. Listed below are all the reports delivered to date, arranged in chronological order of publication.
2025
- Assessment of Summer Preparedness for the NSW Energy Markets (May 2025)
- Advisory Committee on Tunnel Air Quality – Terms of Reference 2023/24 (April 2025)
- Advisory Committee on Tunnel Air Quality – ACTAQ Out of Session Tunnel Air Quality Review Approval (April 2025)
- Advisory Committee on Tunnel Air Quality – Tunnel Air Quality Summary Report (April 2025)
- Advisory Committee on Tunnel Air Quality – Review of the Health Effects of Traffic-Related Air Pollution (April 2025)
- Advisory Committee on Tunnel Air Quality – State of World Practice Urban Motorway Tunnel Air Treatment Systems 2024 Report (April 2025)
- Advisory Committee on Tunnel Air Quality – Air Quality Analysis of NSW Tunnel Data (April 2025)
- Advisory Committee on Tunnel Air Quality – Initial Peer Review of Air Quality Analysis of NSW Tunnel Data - 7 Nov 2024 (April 2025)
- Advisory Committee on Tunnel Air Quality – Initial Peer Review of Air Quality Analysis of NSW Tunnel Data - 7 Nov 2024 - Responses (April 2025)
- Advisory Committee on Tunnel Air Quality – Peer Review of Air Quality Analysis of NSW Tunnel Data - February 18, 2025 (April 2025)
- Advisory Committee on Tunnel Air Quality – Peer Review of Air Quality Analysis of NSW Tunnel Data - February 18, 2025 - Responses (April 2025)
Management of asbestos in recovered fines and recovered materials for beneficial reuse in NSW – Final Paper (February 2025)
2024
Minimum Inflows Method Review - Terms of Reference (December 2024)
Independent Koala Expert Panel - Terms of Reference (October 2024)
Minimum Inflows Method Review – Terms of Reference (August 2024)
Regional Water Strategies Program – Additional advice subsequent to April 2020 Panel report – Southern Inland NSW and Greater Sydney Region (July 2024)
Specialised technical advice regarding Trolex Air XS Silica Monitor – Terms of Reference (July 2024)
Management of asbestos in recovered fines and recovered materials for beneficial reuse in NSW – Discussion Paper (June 2024)
Management of asbestos in recovered fines and recovered materials for beneficial reuse in NSW – Discussion Paper Response Template (June 2024)
2023
NSW Universities Intellectual Property Review (December 2023)
Independent Review into the 2023 fish deaths in the Darling-Baaka River at Menindee – Final Report (CSU report update, December 2023)
Assessment of Summer Preparedness for the NSW Energy Market (November 2023)
NSW Decarbonisation Innovation 2023 Study (November 2023)
NSW Decarbonisation Innovation 2023 Study Supplement Document (November 2023)
Independent review into the 2023 fish deaths in the Darling-Baaka River at Menindee – Final Report (September 2023)
Independent review into the 2023 fish deaths in the Darling-Baaka River at Menindee – Executive Summary (August 2023)
Regional Water Strategies Program – Climate Risk Method Review (August 2023)
Synthetic Turf in Public Spaces – Final Report (June 2023)
Independent Review into the February-March 2023 fish deaths in the Darling-Baaka River, Menindee– Terms of Reference (May 2023)
Advice on the management of asbestos in recovered fines and recovered materials for beneficial reuse in NSW – Terms of Reference (May 2023) (November 2023)
2022
Assessment of Summer Preparedness for the NSW Energy Market (December 2022)
Synthetic Turf in Public Spaces – Initial Report (February 2022)
Synthetic Turf in Public Spaces – Terms of Reference (January 2022)
2021
Assessment of Summer Preparedness for the NSW Energy Market (December 2021)
Energy from Waste Report (March 2020)
2020
Assessment of Summer Preparedness for the NSW Energy Market (December 2020)
Assessment of Summer Preparedness for the NSW Energy Market Supplementary Material (December 2020)
Review of Water-Related Data Collections, Data Infrastructure and Capabilities (December 2020)
NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Study – Final Report (August 2020)
Advice on the Protection of the Campbelltown Koala population (August 2020)
NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Study – Scoping Paper (March 2020)
2019
Assessment of Summer Preparedness for the NSW Energy Market (December 2019)
Independent Review of the Impacts of the Bottled Water Industry on Groundwater Resources in the Northern Rivers Region of NSW – Final Report (December 2019)
Independent Expert Panel for Mining in the Catchment – Final Reports (October 2019)
Independent Review of the Impacts of the Bottled Water Industry on Groundwater Resources in the Northern Rivers Region of NSW – Initial Report (February 2019)
2018
Assessment of Summer Preparedness for the NSW Energy Market (December 2018)
Independent Review of the Impacts of the Bottled Water Industry on Groundwater Resources in the Northern Rivers region of NSW – Terms of Reference (December 2018)
Independent Expert Panel for Mining in the Catchment – Initial report on specific mining activities at the Metropolitan and Dendrobium coal mines (November 2018)
Advisory Committee on Tunnel Air Quality – Road Tunnels Air Quality Technical Papers (November 2018)
Independent Expert Panel for Mining in the Catchment – Progress Report on Term of Reference 1 (April 2018)
2017
Final Report of the NSW Energy Security Taskforce (December 2017)
Report on the Human Health Risk Assessment for Lord Howe Island’s proposed Rodent Eradication (July 2017)
Initial Report of the NSW Energy Security Taskforce (May 2017)
Review of sponsorship, incentive, grant and strategic research programs – Better Regulation Division, Department of Finance Services & Innovation (February 2017)
2016
Report of the Independent Review into the Decline of Koala Populations in Key Areas of NSW (December 2016)
Independent Review of Rail Coal Dust Emissions Management Practices in the NSW Coal Chain – Final Report (August 2016)
Advisory Committee on Tunnel Air Quality
Terms of Reference (Updated May 2016)
Comment on Australian Government Vehicle Emissions Discussion Paper (April 2016)
Koala Expert Advisory Committee – First milestone report: Review of the Ballina Koala Plan (February 2016)
Advisory Committee on Tunnel Air Quality – ACTAQ Research on NO2, GRAL and CO2 (February 2016)
2015
Independent Review of Rail Coal Dust Emissions Management Practices in the NSW Coal Chain – Initial Report (November 2015)
Review of material relating to extraction of water from "water veins" (July 2015)
Koala Expert Advisory Committee – Terms of Reference
Review of rail coal dust emissions management practices in the NSW coal chain – Terms of Reference
2014
Independent Review of Coal Seam Gas Activities in NSW
Final Report (September 2014)
Study of Regulatory Compliance Systems and Processes for Coal Seam Gas (September 2014)
Managing environmental and human health risks from coal seam gas activities (September 2014)
Information Paper: Managing the interface between coal seam gas activities and other land uses (September 2014)
Information Paper: Fracture stimulation activities (September 2014)
Information paper: Abandoned wells (September 2014)
Advisory Committee on Tunnel Air Quality
Road Tunnels Air Quality Technical Papers (August, September 2014)
Initial Report on Tunnel Air Quality (August 2014)
Placement of monitoring equipment for water resources in New South Wales (June 2014)
Environmental risk & responsibility and insurance arrangements for the NSW CSG industry (May 2014)
Review of the NSW Environmental Trust's Environmental Research Program (May 2014)
2013
Renewable energy action plan (September 2013)
Independent review of NSW Coal Seam Gas (CSG) activities – Initial Report (July 2013)
Thirlmere Lakes Inquiry – Review of the Final Report of the Independent Committee (February 2013)