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

I thank the member for Indi for the question and acknowledge her long-term engagement in community consultation generally and specifically with respect to EPBC reform, and I also acknowledge that she's raised this issue with me previously in this chamber.

At the end of last year we passed consequential changes to environmental law, but behind the environmental law a series of standards had to be established to effectively create the impact of those reforms. As the question referred to, there are new national environmental standards and supplementary guidelines to get the system up and running. The consultation period on the first standard, which is on matters of national environmental significance, has just closed.

That standard goes to the substance of the Samuel review in that it sets clear objectives and outcomes for protected matters, including prioritising mitigation. The second standard is the offset standard. That one is still open but closes soon. Regarding the standard that's raised in the question, as well as these standards being out for community consultation, community consultation itself will have a standard. And I'm advised that work on the standard is well progressed, and the government anticipates that it will be released for consultation in the coming weeks.

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