The Environment Protection Reform Act 2025 was passed by the Commonwealth Parliament on 28 November 2025, making what CEIG describes as the most far-reaching changes to Australia’s national environment law in a generation.
The reforms established a new National Environmental Protection Agency (National EPA), introduced a streamlined 30-business-day assessment pathway for non-fossil-fuel projects, and replaced the existing “no net loss” offsets standard with a “net gain” requirement.
As of 1 July 2026, the Minister has delegated almost all assessment and approval powers under the EPBC Act to office holders within the National EPA.
Despite those changes already being in effect, the report identifies several critical areas where the framework remains incomplete.
National Environmental Standards covering matters of national environmental significance, environmental offsets, community consultation, data and information, and First Nations engagement are still under development, along with the offsets calculator and the definition of what constitutes a “net gain.”
