Bill
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Regional Forest Agreements) Bill 2020
lapsed, as at 2025-07-21.
- Sponsor
- Bridget McKenzie
- Portfolio
- Not recorded
Recorded stages
- introduced — 2020-12-09
- second reading — 2020-12-09
- other — 2022-07-25
- other — 2022-07-28
- second reading — 2022-08-01
- second reading — 2022-08-01
- other — 2025-07-21
Divisions
No divisions recorded. Most questions are decided on the voices; this does not establish that a bill was unopposed.
Plain-language summary
Written by a model from the explanatory memorandum; not the record, as at 2020-12-09.
This bill would confirm that forestry activities under Regional Forest Agreements do not need federal environmental approval under Part 3 of the EPBC Act.
It would amend subsection 38(1) of the EPBC Act and section 6(4) of the Regional Forest Agreements Act 2002 to remove legal doubt about the exemption's meaning.
The changes would start the day after the Act receives Royal Assent.
- Clarifies that forestry operations in a Regional Forest Agreement area are exempt from Part 3 of the EPBC Act.
- Removes ambiguity created by a Federal Court ruling about the phrase 'undertaken in accordance with a Regional Forest Agreement'.
- Ensures compliance matters are handled through state regulatory frameworks rather than federal approval.
Forestry operators, state governments, and the native forestry industry covered by Regional Forest Agreements.
Sources
em
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