Read the Environment Centre NT's submission to the 10 year review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1998 (Cth).
We assert that protection of the unique environment and biodiversity of the Northern Territory is under threat on multiple fronts and the EPBC Act has done little to modify or prevent these threats and impacts.
The legislation has failed to slow the decline of critical habitats for threatened species in the Northern Territory and across Australia, which are the primary focus of its jurisdiction. It has facilitated environmentally destructive projects in the Northern Territory, often with little or no meaningful oversight. Indeed, via its bilateral agreement with the Northern Territory Government entered into under the EPBC Act, the Commonwealth accredited one of the weakest environmental assessment regimes in the country which has left numerous legacy mines and other environmental issues in its wake.
Read ECNT’s recommendations calling for legislation that takes a holistic approach to conserving biodiversity and protecting the environment.