The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act
1999 (the EPBC Act) is the Australian Government’s central piece
of environmental legislation. It provides a legal framework to
protect and manage nationally and internationally important
flora, fauna, ecological communities and heritage places —
defined in the EPBC Act as matters of national environmental
significance. More about the EPBC Act The Australian Government
is introducing an amendment to Australia's national environment
law to provide that water resources are a matter of national
environmental significance, in relation to coal seam gas and
large coal mining development. The Australian Government today
released the draft Framework of Standards for Accreditation
under the national environment law. The draft framework of
environmental standards underpins the Australian Government’s
approach to the environmental reform process and has been
released so feedback can be obtained from stakeholders ahead of
their finalisation. New ecological comm