EPBC Act policy statements
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (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
- Oustanding universal value of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area - draft referral guidelines - August 2013
- EPBC Act assessment and approval process policies - July 2013
- Interim Guidelines on the Outstanding Universal Value of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area - for Proponents of Actions - May 2013
- Strategic Assessments: Policy Statement for EPBC Act referrals - March 2013
- EPBC Act environmental offsets policy - October 2012
- Melbourne Urban Development - Policy Statement for Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) referrals - July 2012
- Compliance and Enforcement Policy: Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 - May 2012
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 - 2009
- 1.2 Significant impact guidelines - actions on, or impacting upon, Commonwealth land and actions by commonwealth agencies - 2006
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
- 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 species and ecological communities guidelines provide guidance on specific threatened species and ecological communities and should be read in conjunction with the significant impact guidelines.
- Grey Box (Eucalyptus microcarpa) Grassy Woodlands and Derived Native Grasslands of South-Eastern Australia - June 2012
- Broad leaf tea-tree woodlands and Landholders - June 2012
- Lowland Rainforest and Landholders - January 2012
- Nationally Threatened Ecological Communities of the Victorian Volcanic Plain: Natural Temperate Grassland & Grassy Eucalypt Woodland - September 2011
- Littoral rainforest and coastal vine thickets of eastern Australia - 2009
- Alpine sphagnum bogs and associated fens - September 2009 (order printed copy)
- Weeping Myall Woodlands - EPBC Act policy statement September 2009 (order printed copy)
- Lowland native grasslands of Tasmania - October 2009 (order printed copy)
- Gippsland Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Associated Native Grassland - 2010 (order printed copy)
- Cumberland Plain Shale Woodlands and Shale-Gravel Transition Forest - 2010 (order printed copy)
- White box - yellow box - Blakely's red gum grassy woodlands and derived native grasslands - 2006
- Peppermint box (Eucalyptus odorata) grassy woodland of South Australia and iron-grass natural temperate grassland of South Australia - 2007
Guidelines for EPBC Act listed species
- Interim koala referral advice for proponents - June 2012
- Wallum sedge frog, Litoria olongburensis - draft - September 2011
- Black-eyed susan, Tetratheca juncea - August 2011
- Striped legless lizard, Delma impar - August 2011
- Macquarie perch, Macquaria australasica - draft - July 2011
- Four threatened Tasmanian burrowing crayfish - draft - July 2011
- Three threatened Western Australian black cockatoos - October 2012
- Southern brown bandicoot (eastern), Isoodon obesulus obesulus - draft - May 2011
- Brigalow Belt reptiles - draft - May 2011
- Northern quoll, Dasyurus hallucatus - draft - March 2011
- Growling grass frog - 2010
- Endangered southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii) Wet Tropics Population - March 2010
- Green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea) - 2010
- Western ringtail possum in the southern Swan Coastal Plain, WA - 2009
- Spiny rice-flower (Pimelea spinescens subsp. spinescens) - 2009
- Golden sun moth - 2009
- Black-throated finch (southern) (Poephila cincta cincta) - 2009
- Significant impact guidelines for the vulnerable water mouse Xeromys myoides - draft - 2009
- Significant impact guidelines for 36 migratory shorebird species - draft - November 2009
- Spot-tailed quoll - draft - 2009
- Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) - 2006
- Grey-headed flying fox - 2003
- Tiger quoll - 2004
- Spectacled flying fox - 2003
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.
- 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 conjuction with the significant impact guidelines.
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