Committee Details

COMMITTEE’S REPORT

The committee tabled its Report No. 27, 57th Parliament - Environmental Protection and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 on 25 November 2022. The Bill was passed with amendment on 29 March 2023.

View: Report
View: Government Response
View: Explanatory notes to Hon. Meaghan Scanlon's amendments
View: Statement of compatibility with human rights contained in Hon. Meaghan Scanlon's amendments

ABOUT THE BILL 

On 12 October 2022, Hon Meaghan Scanlon MP, Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef and Minister for Science and Youth Affairs, introduced the Environmental Protection and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 into the Queensland Parliament. The Bill was referred to the Health and Environment Committee for detailed consideration. 

View: Explanatory Speech
View: Bill
View: Explanatory Notes
View: Statement of Compatibility

The Bill amends the Environmental Protection Act 1994, the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011, the Wet Tropics World Heritage Protection and Management Act 1993 and the Land Title Act 1994. 

Environmental Protection Act 1994 —amendments intended to support industry, streamline and clarify regulatory processes, better protect the environment, and improve community input and transparency, including to:

• resolve implementation issues with the estimated rehabilitation cost (ERC) and progressive rehabilitation and closure planning (PRCP) frameworks
• refine requirements related to contaminated land, including contaminated land auditors
• modernise and improve the efficiency of environmental authority provisions
• improve the environmental impact statement (EIS) process
• improve compliance and enforcement powers to enable the more effective protection of the environment
• insert measures to assist Queensland businesses and individuals to meet environmental requirements in an emergency situation
• insert provisions to support the implementation of a national approach for managing the environmental risks posed by industrial chemicals under the Commonwealth Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Act 2021.

Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011 — minor, technical amendments to administrative processes, including to:

• make a community corrections office and a corrective services facility an exempt business or undertaking thus, allowing banned single-use plastic items to be supplied and used by these facilities to ensure they can continue to operate safely and effectively
• refine the end of waste framework and provide clarity and consistency for decisions relating to end of waste codes and end of waste approvals
• refine the technical interpretation of a number of matters to address issues that have been raised through the application of the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011

Wet Tropics World Heritage Protection and Management Act 1993 (Wet Tropics Act) and Land Title Act 1994 — consequential and minor amendments in response to a public review of the Wet Tropics Management Plan 1998, including to:

• remove a mining exemption for the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area
• ensure a plan of subdivision for reconfiguring a lot in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area is not registered under the Land Title Act 1994 without consent being given by the Wet Tropics Management Authority
• clarify the meaning of ‘Aboriginal Tradition’ as used in the Wet Tropics Act
• clarify the relationship between cooperative management agreements made under the Wet Tropics Act and the Wet Tropics Management Plan 1998
• clarify the maximum consecutive years of appointment allowed for Wet Tropics Management Authority board directors
• remove inconsistencies between a management plan under the Wet Tropics Act with instruments made under part 7 of the Nature Conservation Act 1992.

Further information

Further information including written briefings from the department, the response to submissions, transcripts from proceedings and answers to questions taken on notice are under the Related Publications tab.

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