Good news that the Government has placed legislation for the establishment of two new environmental agencies before the House.

The Federal Environmental Protection Agency will be an independent body with expanded and wide-ranging compliance and enforcement powers. It contains substantial penalties for non-compliance, with companies liable to fines of up to 725,500,000 for serious offences.

The second Environmental Information Agency will archive environmental information and provide environmental reporting.

Included is a ‘Nature Positive’ addition to the EPBC, which is defined as “an improvement in the diversity, abundance, resilience and integrity of ecosystems from a baseline”. The baseline to be defined by the Agency soon after its establishment.

There is a long and twisting road between introducing legislation and the establishment of the final agency, but this is a big step in the right direction.

– Interested? Details are available here.