Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025

Part of a package of 7 bills to implement the recommendations of the 2020 Independent Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the Samuel Review), the bill amends the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to:

• streamline the assessment and approvals process
• update provisions relating to accreditation and bilateral agreements
• provide for bioregional plans
• provide a framework for the minister to make, vary and revoke national environmental standards
• make it clear that projects with unacceptable impacts on nationally protected matters can no longer be approved
• prevent a project being approved unless all residual significant impacts of the action on nationally protected matters have been compensated to a net gain
• provide a mechanism for projects that are in the national interest to be approved even if they do not meet certain requirements
• allow conditions to be attached to taking an action covered by a national interest exemption
• amend provisions relating to reconsiderations
• update provisions relating to conservation planning and heritage
• update compliance and enforcement powers
• make administrative amendments. Also makes consequential amendments to 11 other Acts.

Summary from the official bill homepage.