Angela Rossen

Submission in response to discussion paper

Some have argued that past changes to the EPBC Act to add new matters of national environmental significance did not go far enough. Others have argued it has extended the regulatory reach of the Commonwealth too far. What do you think?

please see my attached document

How could the principle of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) be better reflected in the EPBC Act? For example, could the consideration of environmental, social and economic factors, which are core components of ESD, be achieved through greater inclusion of cost benefit analysis in decision making?

please see my attached document

Should the objects of the EPBC Act be more specific?

please see my attached document

Should the matters of national environmental significance within the EPBC Act be changed? How?

please see my attached document

Which elements of the EPBC Act should be priorities for reform? For example, should future reforms focus on assessment and approval processes or on biodiversity conservation? Should the Act have proactive mechanisms to enable landholders to protect matters of national environmental significance and biodiversity, removing the need for regulation in the right circumstances?

please see my attached document

What high level concerns should the review focus on? For example, should there be greater focus on better guidance on the EPBC Act, including clear environmental standards? How effective has the EPBC Act been in achieving its statutory objectives to protect the environment and promote ecologically sustainable development and biodiversity conservation? What have been the economic costs associated with the operation and administration of the EPBC Act?

please see my attached document

What additional future trends or supporting evidence should be drawn on to inform the review?

please see my attached document

Should the EPBC Act regulate environmental and heritage outcomes instead of managing prescriptive processes?

please see my attached document

Should the EPBC Act position the Commonwealth to take a stronger role in delivering environmental and heritage outcomes in our federated system? Who should articulate outcomes? Who should provide oversight of the outcomes? How do we know if outcomes are being achieved?

please see my attached document

Should there be a greater role for national environmental standards in achieving the outcomes the EPBC Act seeks to achieve?

In our federated system should they be prescribed through:

• Non-binding policy and strategies?

• Expansion of targeted standards, similar to the approach to site contamination under the National Environment Protection Council, or water quality in the Great Barrier Reef catchments?

• The development of broad environmental standards with the Commonwealth taking a monitoring and assurance role? Does the information exist to do this?

please see my attached document

please see my attached document

Are heritage management plans and associated incentives sensible mechanisms to improve? How can the EPBC Act adequately represent Indigenous culturally important places? Should protection and management be place-based instead of values based?

please see my attached document

Should the EPBC Act require the use of strategic assessments to replace case-by-case assessments? Who should lead or participate in strategic assessments?

please see my attached document

Should the matters of national significance be refined to remove duplication of responsibilities between different levels of government? Should states be delegated to deliver EPBC Act outcomes subject to national standards?

please see my attached document

Should low-risk projects receive automatic approval or be exempt in some way? How could data help support this approach? Should a national environmental database be developed? Should all data from environmental impact assessments be made publicly available?

please see my attached document

Should the Commonwealth’s regulatory role under the EPBC Act focus on habitat management at a landscape-scale rather than species-specific protections?

please see my attached document

Should the EPBC Act be amended to enable broader accreditation of state and territory, local and other processes?

please see my attached document

Are there adequate incentives to give the community confidence in self-regulation?

please see my attached document

How should the EPBC Act support the engagement of Indigenous Australians in environment and heritage management?

• How can we best engage with Indigenous Australians to best understand their needs and potential contributions?

• What mechanisms should be added to the Act to support the role of Indigenous Australians?

Indigenous Australian traditional knowledge should be included in environmental management and ranger programs should be fully funded to ensure that indigenous communities are part of the management solution through delivery of environmental services.

How should community involvement in decision-making under the EPBC Act be improved? For example, should community representation in environmental advisory and decision making bodies be increased?

Yes community should be part of the decision making process in such a way as to represent community values for both the particular community and the broader community.

What is the priority for reform to governance arrangements? The decision-making structures or the transparency of decisions? Should the decision makers under the EPBC Act be supported by different governance arrangements?

We need to set up an independent Federal Environment Protection Agency to act as watch-dog over government, and ensure our laws are properly enforced. This watchdog has to have powers. It must not be bullied as the EPA in WA has been by the state government and wealthy For Profit extractive industries with disproportionate influence over government. People and environment must be the first consideration before profit. The Revised Act must have the power to oversee compliance and enforcement and of its environmental protection rules.

What innovative approaches could the review consider that could efficiently and effectively deliver the intended outcomes of the EPBC Act? What safeguards would be needed?

Please see my attached document

Should the Commonwealth establish new environmental markets? Should the Commonwealth implement a trust fund for environmental outcomes?

Please see my attached document

What do you see are the key opportunities to improve the current system of environmental offsetting under the EPBC Act?

Please see my attached document

How could private sector and philanthropic investment in the environment be best supported by the EPBC Act?

• Could public sector financing be used to increase these investments?

• What are the benefits, costs or risks with the Commonwealth developing a public investment vehicle to coordinate EPBC Act offset funds?

Please see my attached document

Do you have suggested improvements to the above principles? How should they be applied during the review and in future reform?

People and the environment must be prioritised over profit.Corporate entities must not be permitted to intimidate government and communities in the decision making process.

Is the EPBC Act delivering what was intended in an efficient and effective manner?

No the Act as it stands in manifestly inadequate.
Please see my attached document

How well is the EPBC Act being administered?

Not well at all. It is a piecemeal threadbare arrangement that can be over ridden and ignored at will by politicians having discretionary powers to ignore scientific recommendations and community considerations.

Is the EPBC Act sufficient to address future challenges? Why?

No as it stands it is insufficient to address future challenges. The very fact that id doesn't even mention climate change shows it is completely out of date and wilfully ignoring the greatest threat we face as a species.
It is a piecemeal threadbare arrangement that can be over ridden and ignored at will by politicians having discretionary powers to ignore scientific recommendations and community considerations. There is no overarching authority that oversees the management of the environment. This has to be changed. Please see my attached document.

What are the priority areas for reform?

Please see my attached document

What changes are needed to the EPBC Act? Why?

Please see my attached document

Is there anything else of importance to you that you would like the review to consider?

Once we have destroyed the very natural systems on which we rely we will not be able to get them back.
We have just this one chance right now to create a framework with which to really protect nature. There is not a moment to loose.

Attachments

Additional information has been provided as an attachment for this submission. The attachment can be downloaded using the links on the right hand side of this page.