Environmental impact assessments
Under s158 of the Act the Australian Government Minister for the Environment (the Minister) may exempt a person proposing to take an action from the requirement to conduct an environmental assessment and/or obtain approval in relation to the action to which the exemption relates. Under s158 the Minister may exempt a person from any or all steps in the assessment and approvals process. However, the Minister may only grant an exemption under s158 if they are satisfied that it is in the national interest to do so.
The Minister must decide within 20 business days of receiving the application whether or not to grant the exemption. If an exemption is granted, within 10 business days after making the notice, the Minister must publish a copy of the notice providing a statement of reasons for their decision and give a copy of the notice to the person specified in the notice.
Listed species and ecological communities permits
Under s303A of the Act the Minister may exempt a person proposing to undertake an action from the requirement to seek permits under Part 13 of the Act in relation to the action to which the exemption relates. Part 13 of the Act, among other things, prohibits the killing, injuring, taking, trading, keeping or moving listed threatened species or ecological communities, listed migratory species, cetaceans, or listed marine species in or on a Commonwealth area. The Minister may specify that any or all prohibitions in Part 13 do not apply to a person in relation to an action to which an exemption relates. However, the Minister may only grant an exemption under s303A if satisfied that it is in the national interest to do so.
National emergencies
Under ss28(3) the Minister may make a declaration to exempt actions that are necessary for Australia's defence or security or in relation to preventing, mitigating or dealing with a national emergency.
Commonwealth agencies
Under ss28(4) and ss28(5) the Minister may make a declaration that actions or a class of actions to be undertaken by a Commonwealth agency are exempt from assessment and approval processes. However, the Minister must be satisfied that the Commonwealth agency will comply with state/territory environment protection laws when undertaking the action or class of actions to which the declaration applies.
Register of published exemption notices
The Minister is required under the Act to publish all notices of exemption under sections 158 and 303A and the reasons for granting the exemptions.
| Title of exemption | Exemption Notice | Statement of Reasons | Decision | Date of Notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lighthouse operations and short-term well injection for the Northern Endeavour Floating Production, Storage and Offtake Facility | s158-Exemption-Decision.pdf (485.84 KB) | s158-Exemption-Statement-of-Reasons.pdf (504.03 KB) | Exempt under Section 158 of the EPBC Act | 28/09/2021 |
| Emergency Works and Rectification Works at Yallourn coal mine | s158-Exemption-Decision.pdf (59.47 KB) | s158-Exemption-Statement-of-Reasons.pdf (271.61 KB) | Exempt under Section 158 of the EPBC Act | 05/08/2021 |
| Lighthouse operation of the Northern Endeavour Floating production, storage and offtake facility | s158-exemption-decision.pdf (481.24 KB) | s158-exemption-statement-of-reasons.pdf (2.62 MB) | Exempt under Section 158 of the EPBC Act | 31/07/2020 |
| Exemption relating to the 2019/2020 bushfires in South Australia | sa-s158-exemption-decision.pdf (377.20 KB) | sa-s158-exemption-statement-of-reasons.pdf (1.25 MB) | Exempt under Section 158 of the EPBC Act | 14/01/2020 |
| Exemption relating to the 2019/2020 bushfires in Victoria | vic-s158-exemption-decision.pdf (74.55 KB) | vic-s158-exemption-statement-of-reasons.pdf (1.38 MB) | Exempt under Section 158 of the EPBC Act | 14/01/2020 |
| Exemption relating to the 2019/2020 bushfires in New South Wales | s158-exemption-decision.pdf (506.96 KB) | s158-exemption-statement-of-reasons.pdf (1.54 MB) | Exempt under Section 158 of the EPBC Act | 10/01/2020 |
| Introduction of Eastern Barred Bandicoots onto French Island, Victoria | s517A-exemption-french-island-victoria.pdf (339.45 KB) | Exempt under Section 517A of the EPBC Act | 31/01/2019 | |
| North Coast Shark Meshing Trial, New South Wales | 20171026-exemption-notice.pdf (36.63 KB) | 20171026-statement-of-reasons.pdf (1013.06 KB) 20171026-exemption-application-letter.pdf (1.05 MB) |
Exempt under Section 158 of the EPBC Act | 16/11/2016 |
| Dispersal of the Grey-headed Flying-Fox camps at Batemans Bay, New South Wales | s158-exemption-decision.pdf (93.34 KB) | s158-exemption-statement-of-reasons.pdf (579.30 KB) | Exempt under Section 158 of the EPBC Act | 17/05/2016 |
| The deployment of fishing gear in Western Australian state waters to catch a shark posing an imminent threat to public safety | s158-exemption-wa-shark-oct14.pdf (158.67 KB) | s158-statement-of-reasons-wa-shark-oct14.pdf (909.63 KB) | Exempt under Section 158 of the EPBC Act | 02/10/2014 |
| The exemption to capture, remove and establish a captive colony of Bramble Cay melomys (Melomys rubicola) from Bramble Cay, Queensland | 158-exemption-bramble-cay-melomys.pdf (218.01 KB) | 158-statement-of-reasons-bramble-cay-melomys.pdf (3.03 MB) | Exempt under Section 158 of the EPBC Act | 03/09/2014 |
| The establishment and operation of a captive management program for the Christmas Island Flying-fox (Pteropus melanotus natalis) | s158-exemption-flying-fox.pdf (274.62 KB) s303a-exemption-flying-fox.pdf (264.42 KB) |
s158-statement-of-reasons-flying-fox.pdf (476.70 KB) s303a-statement-of-reasons-flying-fox.pdf (458.80 KB) |
Exempt under Section 158 and Section 303A of the EPBC Act | 26/06/2014 |
| Exemption for maritime environmental emergencies in accordance with the National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies | 140306-section-158-exemption.pdf (97.91 KB) 140306-section-303a-exemption.pdf (94.43 KB) |
140306-section-158-reasons-exemption.pdf (238.23 KB) 140306-section-303a-reasons-exemption.pdf (269.42 KB) |
Exempt under Section 158 and Section 303A of the EPBC Act | 06/03/2014 |
| Revocation of Prior Exemption for persons acting in accordance with the National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil and Other Noxious and Hazardous Substances | 140306-revocation-prior-exemption.pdf (258.72 KB) | 140306-revocation-reasons.pdf (143.55 KB) | Revoke exemption under Section 158 of the EPBC Act | 06/03/2014 |
| The setting of up to seventy two (72) baited drum lines each with a single approximately size 25/0 hook, in Western Australian state waters, and management of those lines | 158-exemption-shark-drum-line-deployment.pdf (135.36 KB) | 158-statement-shark-drum-line-deployment.pdf (1.43 MB) letter-shark-drum-line-deployment.pdf (476.97 KB) |
Exempt under Section 158 of the EPBC Act | 10/01/2014 |
| Remediation of Flood Damage to the Warrego Highway near Marburg Range in Queensland | 158-exemption-warrego.pdf (97.42 KB) | 158-statement-of-reasons-warrego.pdf (169.51 KB) | Exempt under Section 158 of the EPBC Act | 17/04/2011 |
| The drilling of a relief well (and all associated activities) in production licence AC/L7 or AC/L8 to stop the current uncontrolled flow of oil, gas and condensate from the Montara H1 well | montara-relief-well-158-exemption.pdf (163.64 KB) | montara-relief-well-158-reasons.pdf (692.44 KB) | Action is exempt from Part 3 and Chapter 4 | 06/09/2009 |
| Captive breeding program for the Christmas Island pipistrelle (Pipistrellus murrayi) | 158-exemption-pipistrelle.pdf (61.62 KB) 303a-exemption-pipistrelle.pdf (62.70 KB) |
sor-158-pipistrelle.pdf (216.68 KB) sor-303a-pipistrelle.pdf (240.92 KB) |
Actions are exempt - Yes | 07/07/2009 |
| Captive breeding program for the Christmas Island Blue-Tailed Skink (Cryptoblepharus egeriae) and the Christmas Island Forest Skink (Emoia nativitatis) | 158-exemption-skinks.pdf (64.16 KB) | sor-158-skinks.pdf (251.26 KB) | Actions are exempt from Chapter 3 and Part 4 - Yes | 07/07/2009 |
| All actions taken in response to the current severe bushfires in Victoria, including but not limited to clearance of vegetation, building of fire breaks and back burning | exemption-victoria-bushfire.pdf (90.81 KB) | statement-of-reasons-vic-bushfires.pdf (296.55 KB) | Actions are exempt - Yes | 11/02/2009 |
| Release of water from Lake Crescent Tasmania for essential human needs and stock | exemption-notice-lake-crescent-tasmania.pdf (35.44 KB) | statement-of-reasons-lake-crescent-tasmania.pdf (113.50 KB) | Actions are exempt - Yes | 07/11/2007 |
| The consolidation, during 2004, of science and technology activities | defence-exemption-s158.pdf (24.64 KB) | s158-statement-of-reasons-defence.pdf (85.66 KB) | Actions are exempt - Yes | 10/08/2004 |
| Commonwealth/Urban and commercial new development/Christmas Island/Immigration Reception and Processing Centre and associated infrastructure | immigrationcentreexemptions158.pdf (202.08 KB) immigrationcentreexemption303a.pdf (209.60 KB) |
s158statementofreasons.pdf (300.60 KB) s303statementofreasons.pdf (297.22 KB) |
Actions are exempt - Yes | 03/04/2002 |
| To develop an immigration reception and processing centre and associated infrastructure | immigrationcentreexemption303a.pdf (209.60 KB) | Actions are exempt - Yes | 03/04/2002 | |
| South Australian Minister for Primary Industries and Resources/Agriculture/South Australia/Spring-Summer 2000-2001 Australian plague locust control program | locustexemptionnotice.pdf (29.31 KB) | locuststatementofreasons.pdf (39.46 KB) | Actions are exempt - Yes | 21/10/2000 |
| Australian Maritime Safety Authority/Oil Spill Management/Australia/National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil and Other Noxious and Hazardous Substances | amsaexemption.pdf (58.00 KB) | amsastatementofreasons.pdf (57.38 KB) | Actions are exempt - Yes | 28/08/2000 |