Bill
Federal Environment Watchdog Bill 2021
lapsed, as at 2025-07-21.
- Sponsor
- Hanson-Young
- Portfolio
- Not recorded
Recorded stages
- introduced — 2021-08-31
- second reading — 2021-08-31
- other — 2022-07-25
- other — 2022-07-27
- 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 2021-08-31.
The bill would create an independent environmental regulator called the Commonwealth Environment Protection Authority (EPA).
The EPA would take over the federal government's day-to-day environmental approval, monitoring and enforcement tasks under the EPBC Act and other environment laws.
The new agency would start six months after Royal Assent, but only if Parliament provides the necessary funding.
- Establishes the Commonwealth Environment Protection Authority (EPA) as an independent regulator.
- Transfers the Commonwealth's routine environmental regulatory functions, including approvals, monitoring and enforcement, to the EPA.
- Creates an Office of Monitoring, Compliance, Enforcement and Assurance within the EPA.
- Requires that at least the CEO or one Deputy CEO be an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person.
- Bans people from serving as CEO if they held political office, were a registered lobbyist or campaigner, or held a senior industry or environmental organisation role in the previous five years.
- Links commencement to the passage of an appropriation.
The federal government, businesses and people seeking environmental approvals, and the broader community would be affected by the new regulator.
Sources
em
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