The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) (EPBC Act) is Australia’s national environment law. It is intended to protect nationally significant places, plants and animals by requiring assessment and approval for actions that may significantly affect threatened species, or places like internationally recognised wetlands and World Heritage sites like the Great Barrier Reef.

Climate change and nature destruction are putting our environment under increasing pressure, and the EPBC Act has not adequately protected Australia’s plants, animals and wild places. EDO has consistently advocated for stronger national environment laws that better protect nature, support effective community participation, and hold decision-makers accountable.

The EPBC Act has been undergoing major reform following the 2020 Independent Review by Professor Graeme Samuel, which found the laws were not effectively protecting the environment or reversing environmental decline. In December 2025, Parliament passed a significant reform package with new rules for environmental assessment and approvals.

Work is continuing in 2026 to finalise the details that will shape how the new laws operate. Four National Environmental Standards have been finalised, covering Matters of National Environmental Significance, Community Engagement, Data and Information, and Environmental Offsets. Regulations to support the Act are now being developed before the reform package starts at the end of 2026.

Other parts of the reform process may continue into 2027, including development of bilateral agreements with state and territory governments and regulation of Regional Forestry Activities.

For decades, EDO has been at the heart of efforts to strengthen Australia’s national environment laws, helping shape the original EPBC Act and pushing for reform ever since. As the new framework is developed, we will keep fighting for laws that are strong, enforceable and truly protect nature.

Find out more about the EPBC Act below.

See Our Latest EPBC Act Publications

Reports & Analysis

These recent EDO publications explore issues around the EPBC Act.

Submissions

See our nature law reform submissions

Resources

Our unique plants and wildlife need robust laws to protect them. EDO has produced a guide for members of the community who want to have their say.

Presentations

EDO law reform solicitors have been conducting workshops and webinars around the country. These events bring the top experts together to provide reflections on how well the Act has been operating to date, and what, if anything, needs to change to strengthen its operation.

Below are some of these presentations:

EPBC Reforms Online Briefing Webinar 8 December 2025Download

EPBC Act Information Evening Part 1

EPBC Act Information Evening Part 2

EPBC Act Information Evening Part 3

The following papers are referenced in our presentations:
– Reside, A.E., Cosgrove, A.J., Pointon, R., Trezise, J., Watson, J.E.M., Maron, M., 2019. How to send a finch extinct. Environmental Science & Policy 94, 163-173.
– Ward, M.S., Simmonds, J.S., Reside, A.E., Watson, J.E.M., Rhodes, J.R., Possingham, H.P., Trezise, J., Fletcher, R., File, L., Taylor, M., 2019. Lots of loss with little scrutiny: The attrition of habitat critical for threatened species in Australia. Conservation Science and Practice 0, e117.
– Simmonds, J.S., Reside, A.E., Stone, Z., Walsh, J.C., Ward, M.S., Maron, M., 2019. Vulnerable species and ecosystems are falling through the cracks of environmental impact assessments. Conservation Letters n/a, e12694.
– zu Ermgassen, S.O.S.E., Baker, J., Griffiths, R.A., Strange, N., Struebig, M.J., Bull, J.W., 2019. The ecological outcomes of biodiversity offsets under “no net loss” policies: A global review. Conservation Letters 0, e12664.

The EPBC Act at Work

Our lawyers have worked for two decades to ensure the EPBC Act is implemented to best protect our treasured environmental values. See some of our most important cases: