The review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 has now commenced, with submissions in response to the discussion paper due 14th Feb 2020.
The Review of the EPBC Act is a rare opportunity to influence and improve our regulatory framework in order to enhance environmental protection in Australia. As the peak group of ecologists in Australia, it is vital that the ESA contributes to the review. The ESA Policy Working Group will therefore be working hard to prepare a response to the discussion paper by the February due date. See below for further information and details for supporting the ESA submission or making a submission yourself.
What is the EPBC Act?
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) is the Australian Government's key piece of environmental legislation which commenced 16 July 2000.
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act) is the Australian Government’s central piece of environmental legislation. It provides a legal framework to protect and manage nationally and internationally important flora, fauna, ecological communities and heritage places — defined in the EPBC Act as matters of national environmental significance.
For more about the Act go to https://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/about
Our EPBC Act Survey
In anticipation of the review, we recently surveyed our ESA members regarding their experience with the Act. We summarised the key points from their feedback in a summary document. While we haven’t been able to include all the information provided by those who responded to the survey in this summary, we plan to use this detail and the broad expertise and knowledge of our members as we prepare our response to the discussion paper.
What is the EPBC Act Review?
The statutory review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) commenced on 29 October 2019. Professor Graeme Samuel AC has been appointed as the independent reviewer. An Expert Panel will support and provide advice to him on specific issues.
Over the next 12 months, the review will look at how the EPBC Act has been operating, and any changes needed for Australia to support ecologically sustainable development into the future. All Australians are invited to participate in the review. For more information, see the review website https://epbcactreview.environment.gov.au/about-review
What should I do if I want to do a submission?
If you’d like to make a submission to the review, go to https://epbcactreview.environment.gov.au/get-involved#make-a-submission for a link to the online form and guidelines. Please also do not hesitate to contact the ESA at the email address below for further support as you prepare your response.
Contact us
If you would like to assist with the preparation of our ESA response or plan to do a submission yourself, please email the Policy Working Group at policy@ecolsoc.org.au.
