Latest releases
- A review of noise, light and dust impacts on grey-headed flying-fox camps
- A review of koala habitat assessment criteria and methods
- A pathway for reforming national environmental law
- Proposed Timeline for EPBC Act reforms
- Accreditation criteria for ‘single touch’ approvals under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
General
- Accreditation criteria for ‘single touch’ approvals under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
- Advice on the presence of hybrids in listed ecological communities
- A pathway for reforming national environmental law
- Australian Government Biodiversity Policy - Consultation draft
- Australia's in situ recovery uranium mining best practice guide: groundwaters, residues and radiation protection - 2010
- Bushfire management and national environment law
- Coal Seam Gas - Joint industry framework - 2021
- Draft Framework of Standards for Accreditation - 2012
- Ecological communities: a way forward - 2004
- Environmental best practice port development: an analysis of international approaches - 2013
- EPBC Act environmental offsets policy - 2012
- Genetic resources management in Commonwealth areas - 2005
- Proposed Timeline for EPBC Act reforms
Cost recovery
- Cost Recovery Implementation Statement - 2016
- (Superseded) Cost Recovery under the EPBC Act Cost Recovery Implementation Statement (October 2014) - 2014
- (Superseded) Cost Recovery under the EPBC Act final Cost Recovery Implementation Statement (July 2014) - 2014
Government responses
- Australian Government response to the Environment and Communications References Committee report - Continuation of construction of the Perth Freight Link in the face of significant environmental breaches - 2017
- Australian Government response to the Report of the independent review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 - 2011
- Australian Government Response to the Senate Standing Committee on Environment, Communications and the Arts Committee Report: Operations of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (First, Second and Final Reports) - 2011
Fact sheets
- Agricultural actions exempt from approval under national environmental law - fact sheet - 2020
- Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act - fact sheet - 2013
- EPBC Act - Frequently asked questions - fact sheet - 2013
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protection: legislative changes - frequently asked questions - fact sheet - 2009
- How does national environmental law apply to the natural disasters clean-up? - fact sheet - 2011
- How does the listing of gamba grass and four other grasses as a key threatening process affect me? - 2010
- New detention regime for suspected unauthorised non-citizen offenders - fact sheet - 2007
- Northern Territory cattle production and national environment law - fact sheet - 2014
- Protecting Australia's world heritage properties - fact sheet - 2008
- Recovery action for threatened species and ecological communities - fact sheet - 2007
- Safeguarding the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park - fact sheet - 2009
- Submitting a referral under the EPBC Act: A fact sheet for a person proposing to take an action - 2015
Agreements
- Bilateral agreements
- Conservation agreements
- Heads of agreement on Commonwealth and State roles and responsibilities for the Environment (COAG) - 1997
Compliance and enforcement
- Annual Compliance Report Guidelines - 2014
- Compliance Audits completed in 2019 - Summary of findings
- Compliance Audits completed in 2018 - Summary of findings
- Compliance Audits completed in 2017 - Summary of findings
- Compliance Audits completed in 2016 - Summary of findings
- Compliance audits completed in 2015 - Summary of findings
- Compliance audits completed in 2014 - Summary of findings
- Compliance audits completed in 2013 - Summary of findings
- Compliance audits completed in 2012 - Summary of findings
- Compliance audits completed in 2011 - Summary of findings
- Compliance audits completed in 2010 - Summary of findings
- Compliance audits completed in 2009 - Summary of findings
- Compliance audits completed in 2008 - Summary of findings
- Compliance audits completed in 2007 - Summary of findings
- Compliance audits completed in 2006 - Summary of findings
- Compliance monitoring and auditing - fact sheet - 2015
- Compliance Monitoring Program 2015-16 - 2015
- Compliance Monitoring Program 2016-17 - 2016
- Compliance Policy - 2019
- Environmental Management Plan Guidelines - 2014
- Independent Audit and Audit Report Guidelines - 2019
Databases
- EPBC Act Public Referrals List
- Protected matters search tool - find protected matters in your area of interest
- Species Profile and Threats Database - information about species and ecological communities
- Australian Heritage Database
- Australian Wetlands Database
Environment assessments
- A guide to undertaking strategic assessments - 2012
- Engage early – guidance for proponents on best practice Indigenous engagement for environmental assessments under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) - 2016
- Environmental Impact Assessment Client Services Charter - 2013
- Environment assessment process - flowchart - 2007
- Environment assessment process - fact sheet - 2007
- EPBC Act Condition-setting policy - 2016
- Local government and Australian environment law - fact sheet - 2009
- National environment law - project assessments basics - fact sheet - 2010
- Particular manner decisions - section 77A - 2007
- Referral of proposed action form - 2009
- Strategic assessments frequently asked questions - 2010
- Strategic Assessments Prospectus - 2013
- Strategic assessment under the EPBC Act - brochure - 2008
Flowcharts
- Environment assessment process (referral, assessment/decision whether to approve) - flowchart - 2007
- Live import listing process
- Nomination process flowchart (process for listing threatened species, ecological communities and key threatening process under the EPBC Act)
Guidance notes and manuals
- New or increased impact guidance - 2017
- Environment Assessment Manual - Implementing Chapter 4, EPBC Act - May 2012
- Summary information to assist with a pre-referral meeting - Guidance for proponents and consultants - 2015
Information on listed species
- A review of ghost bat ecology, threats and survey requirements - 2022
- A review of koala habitat assessment criteria and methods - 2022
- A review of noise, light and dust impacts on grey-headed flying-fox camps - 2021
- A review of Pilbara leaf-nosed bat ecology, threats and survey requirements - 2022
- Guide to greater glider habitat in Queensland - 2022
Policy statements
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) policy statements are the Department's public policy documents which provide guidance on the practical application of EPBC Act. The policy statements include:
EPBC Act policies and guidelines - general
- Engage early – guidance for proponents on best practice Indigenous engagement for environmental assessments under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) - 2016
- EPBC Act Condition-setting policy - 2016
- EPBC Act environmental offsets policy - 2012
- EPBC Act assessment and approval process policies - July 2013
- EPBC Act referral guidelines for the Outstanding Universal Value of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area - May 2014
- EPBC Act Policy Statement: Change of person proposing to take an action; Change of proponent; Transfer of approvals: Sections 78(5), 145B and 156F of the EPBC Act - June 2013
- Outcomes-based conditions policy and guidance - 2016
- Policy statement: Advanced environmental offsets under the EPBC Act - 2016
- Standards for Accreditation of Environmental Approvals under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 - 2014
- Strategic Assessments: Policy Statement for EPBC Act referrals - March 2013
Significant impact guidelines
The significant impact guidelines provide over arching guidance on determining whether an action is likely to have a significant impact on a matter of national environmental significance protected by the EPBC Act. These guidelines replace the EPBC Act administrative guidelines on significance (July 2000).
- 1.1 Significant impact guidelines - matters of national environmental significance - 2013
- 1.2 Significant impact guidelines - actions on, or impacting upon, Commonwealth land and actions by Commonwealth agencies - 2006
- 1.3 Significant impact guidelines: coal seam gas and large coal mining developments - Impacts on water resources - 2013
Industry guidelines
Industry guidelines provide specific guidance for industry sectors and should be read in conjunction with the significant impact guidelines.
- Interaction between offshore seismic exploration and whales - 2008
- Guidance on key terms within the Blue Whale Conservation Management Plan - 2021
- Offshore aquaculture - 2006
- Wind farm industry - 2009
- Agricultural Industry – please refer to Farming fact sheets for guidance on agricultural practices which may need approval under national environmental law
- Marine bioregional plans - plans identify conservation values, pressures and priorities in the Commonwealth marine area of four marine regions
Information on listed ecological communities
Nationally threatened ecological communities guidelines provide guidance on specific threatened ecological communities and should be read in conjunction with the significant impact guidelines.
- Alpine sphagnum bogs and associated fens - September 2009
- Banksia Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain: a nationally-protected ecological community - 2016
- EPBC Referral Guidance - Banksia Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain ecological community - 2019
- Black Gum (Eucalyptus ovata) - South Esk Pine (Callitris oblonga) Forest (Tasmania) - 2004
- Blue Gum High Forest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion – 2005
- Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla dominant and co-dominant) information sheet - 2001
- Broad leaf tea-tree woodlands and Landholders - June 2012
- Central Hunter Valley eucalypt forest and woodland: a nationally protected ecological community - 2016
- Cumberland Plain Shale Woodlands and Shale-Gravel Transition Forest - 2010
- Farming and nationally protected Coolibah - Black Box Woodlands - 2011
- Farming and nationally protected grasslands and woodlands of the Victorian volcanic plain - 2009
- Farming and nationally protected Grey Box woodlands and grasslands - 2010
- Farming and nationally protected lowland native grasslands of Tasmania - 2009
- Farming and nationally protected Natural Grasslands of the Murray Valley Plains - 2012
- Giant Kelp Marine Forests of South East Australia - 2012
- Gippsland Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Associated Native Grassland - 2010
- Grey Box (Eucalyptus microcarpa) Grassy Woodlands and Derived Native Grasslands of South-Eastern Australia - June 2012
- Guide to the Eucalypt Woodlands of the Western Australian Wheatbelt - a critically endangered ecological community - 2016
- Kangaroo Island Narrow-leaved Mallee (Eucalyptus cneorifolia) Woodland: a nationally-protected ecological community - 2014
- Landholders & Upland Basalt Eucalypt Forests - 2012
- Littoral rainforest and coastal vine thickets of eastern Australia - 2009
- Lowland Rainforest and Landholders - January 2012
- Lowland native grasslands of Tasmania - October 2009
- Mabi Forest Information Sheet - 2004
- Monaro grasslands - 2019
- The nationally protected Arnhem Plateau Sandstone Shrubland Complex - March 2012
- Nationally Threatened Ecological Communities: Natural Grasslands on Basalt and Fine-textured Alluvial Plains of Northern New South Wales and Southern Queensland, and Natural Grasslands of the Queensland Central Highlands and the Northern Fitzroy Basin - 2012
- Nationally Threatened Ecological Communities of the Victorian Volcanic Plain: Natural Temperate Grassland & Grassy Eucalypt Woodland - September 2011
- Natural Temperate Grassland of the South Eastern Highlands: a nationally protected ecological community - 2016
- Peppermint box (Eucalyptus odorata) grassy woodland of South Australia and iron-grass natural temperate grassland of South Australia - 2007
- Posidonia australis Seagrass Meadows of the Manning-Hawkesbury Ecoregion: A Nationally Significant Ecological Community - 2018
- Proteaceae Dominated Kwongkan Shrubland ecological community - 2014
- Swamp Tea-tree (Melaleuca irbyana) Forest of South-east Queensland - 2005
- Swamps of the Fleurieu Peninsula - 2003
- Tasmanian Black Gum and Brookers Gum Forests and Woodlands: A Nationally Significant Ecological Community - 2020
- Temperate Highland Peat Swamps on Sandstone - 2005
- The Southern Highlands Shale Forest and Woodland of the Sydney Basin Bioregion: A Nationally Significant Ecological Community - 2017
- Tuart Woodlands and Forests of the Swan Coastal Plain: A Nationally Significant Ecological Community - 2019
- EPBC Referral Guidance - Tuart (Eucalyptus gomphocephala) Woodlands and Forests of the Swan Coastal Plain ecological community - 2019
- Turpentine–Ironbark Forest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion - 2005
- Upland wetlands of the New England Tablelands and the Monaro Plateau - 2005
- Weeping Myall Woodlands - EPBC Act policy statement September 2009
- Western Sydney Dry Rainforest and Moist Woodland on Shale: a nationally-protected ecological community - 2015
- White box - yellow box - Blakely's red gum grassy woodlands and derived native grasslands - 2006
Guidelines for EPBC Act listed species
Nationally threatened species guidelines provide guidance on specific threatened species and should be read in conjunction with the significant impact guidelines.
- Black-eyed susan, Tetratheca juncea - August 2011
- Black-throated finch (southern) (Poephila cincta cincta) - 2009
- Brigalow Belt reptiles - draft, May 2011
- Brown bandicoot (eastern), Isoodon obesulus obesulus - draft, May 2011
- Camp management guidelines for the Grey-headed and Spectacled flying-fox - draft, 2014
- Four Tasmanian burrowing crayfish - draft. July 2011
- Golden sun moth - 2009
- Green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea) - 2010
- Growling grass frog - 2010
- Grey-headed Flying-fox - 2003
- Industry guidelines for avoiding, assessing and mitigating impacts on EPBC Act listed migratory shorebird species - 2015
- Koala - 2014
- Northern quoll, Dasyurus hallucatus - draft. March 2011
- Southern brown bandicoot (eastern), Isoodon obesulus obesulus - draft - May 2011
- Southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii) Wet Tropics Population - March 2010
- Spectacled flying fox - 2003
- Spiny rice-flower (Pimelea spinescens subsp. spinescens) - 2009
- Spot-tailed quoll - draft, 2009
- Striped legless lizard, Delma impar - August 2011
- Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) - 2006
- Tasmanian giant freshwater lobster (Astacopsis gouldi) - draft - 2015
- 36 migratory shorebird species - draft, November 2009
- Three threatened black cockatoo species: Carnaby's cockatoo, Baudin's cockatoo and Forest red-tailed black cockatoo - October 2012
- Tiger quoll - 2004
- Wallum sedge frog, Litoria olongburensis - draft - September 2011
- Water mouse Xeromys myoides - 2015
- Western ringtail possum in the southern Swan Coastal Plain, WA - 2009
Regional guidelines
Policy Statements for regions provide area focused guidance for matters of national environmental significance and should be read in conjunction with the significant impact guidelines - maters of national environmental significance.
- Magnetic Island, Queensland - 2010
Survey Guidelines for Nationally Threatened Species
Survey guidelines provide advice on survey techniques for specific threatened species and give guidance on the Department's expectations with regard to surveys, and should be read in conjunction with the significant impact guidelines.
- Draft survey guidelines for Australia's threatened orchids - 2014
- Survey Guidelines for Australia's threatened bats - 2010
- Survey Guidelines for Australia's threatened birds - 2010
- Survey Guidelines for Australia's threatened frogs - 2010
- Survey guidelines for Australia's threatened fish - 2011
- Survey guidelines for Australia's threatened mammals - 2011
- Survey guidelines for Australia's threatened reptiles - 2011
Advice in marine bioregional plans
Marine bioregional plans provide advice on the risk of significant impact of certain actions proposed for some Commonwealth marine areas and associated marine species. The plans also provide regional context, identifying conservation values, pressures operating in the region and priorities for conservation and protection. The plans should be read in conjunction with the significant impact guidelines.
Reports
- Criteria for determining ESD relevance - 2003
- Generic ESD and environmental performance indicators for Commonwealth organisations - 2003
- Guidelines for Section 516A reporting – Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 - 2010
- Operational review of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW), the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW), and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth) - 2009
- Referral guidelines for three species of Western Australian black cockatoos - 2012
- Review of mitigation measures used to deal with the issues of habitat fragmentation - 2008
- State of the environment reporting publications
- Wind farm collision risk for birds - 2006