An inquiry into the Australian federal Labor government's environmental law reform will report its recommendations in March 2026, delaying changes including the creation of a national Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) act reform bill was introduced in parliament on 30 October. The reform will speed up project approvals and remove duplications by using a national EPA, environment and water minister Murray Watt said. Watt had hoped to pass the bill by the end of 2025 and previously said the inquiry would take a month.
Industry groups and conservationists expressed concern that the plans were too broad, especially the proposed definition of "unacceptable impacts" for projects.
The definition is too vague and new regulations should provide certainty, said industry group the Minerals Council of Australia's chief executive Tania Constable.
Companies will need to include estimates of a project's scope 1 and 2 emissions in proposals, and measures that will be taken to manage them, but not scope 3 emissions.
The Labor government needs to partner with the Liberal-National coalition or Greens party to pass the bill. Submissions for the reform bill inquiry are open until 5 December and the final report will be published on 24 March 2026.
