Report of the Third Review of the National Environment Protection Council Acts (Commonwealth State and Territory) December 2012 National Environment Protection Council Response to the Report of the Third Review of the National Protection Council Acts
Tabled paper 599
Tabled Papers for 12th Assembly 2012 - 2016; Tabled Papers; ParliamentNT
2013-10-17
Deemed
Made available by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory under Standing Order 240. Where copyright subsists with a third party it remains with the original owner and permission may be required to reuse the material.
English
Tabled papers
application/pdf
Copyright
See publication
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C01116
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/275013
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/424650
2 National Environment Protection Council NEPC Acts Third Review 2012 this proposal has merit, two issues that it is currently actively considering, namely the National Plan for Clean Air and Council of Australian Governments Chemical Reform Program, provides a practical opportunity to apply it. Reform of the National Environment Protection Council Acts or other legislative reform could provide a broader framework for national environmental decisions and environmental standards, including standards for the environmental performance of products and equipmentan important tool in addressing diffuse impacts on environmental quality. After almost two decades, the National Environment Protection Council Act and National Environment Protection Measures are well known to stakeholders. Consideration should be given to broadening the National Environment Protection Council Act to provide a framework for national environmental decisions and standards. However, the National Environment Protection Council Act currently includes process prescriptions that are not consistent with contemporary administrative practices. This means that making, reviewing, varying and reporting on National Environment Protection Measures is time consuming and inefficient, and that the operation of the National Environment Protection Council and the National Environment Protection Council Service Corporation is not efficient. There is significant opportunity to reform the National Environment Protection Council Act and the associated framework to significantly improve the operation, responsiveness and efficiency of the system. Without such reforms, use of the National Environment Protection Council Act in the future may be limited. Improved implementation of National Environment Protection Measures and, in particular, a focus on consistency between jurisdictions will reduce business costs and improve environmental outcomes, while retaining flexibility where this is necessary. WHAT THE ACTS ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE The National Environment Protection Council Acts1 seek to ensure: 1. People enjoy the benefit of equivalent protection from air, water or soil pollution and from noise, wherever they live in Australia. 2. Decisions of the business community are not distorted, and markets are not fragmented, by variations between participating jurisdictions in relation to the adoption or implementation of major environment protection measures. The Acts establish the National Environment Protection Council and the National Environment Protection Measures as a primary mechanism to achieve these objectives. 1 In response to the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Environment made in 1992 the Commonwealth and each Australian state and territory have passed a National Environment Protection Council Act that establishes the National Environment Protection Council and a mechanism for National Environment Protection Measures.