Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

The government will not be supporting the amendments. The model that the government has decided to adopt for the National Environmental Protection Agency is that of a non-corporate Commonwealth entity. This provides an optimal model for independence for matters of compliance and enforcement while maintaining democratic accountability for approvals. This model involves standard statutory appointment processes for the CEO and is ultimately accountable to the minister. A board is not complementary to this model. Instead, the CEO of the EPA can appoint advisory groups to be able to assist them and provide advice on their functions.

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