Fed Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999) (including Review of EPBC Act (2019) & EPBC Amendment Bill (2020))

Policy Overview

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) is the Australian Government’s central piece of environmental legislation, providing a legal framework to protect and manage ‘matters of national environmental significance’. The legislation covers environmental assessment and approval processes for new developments in Australia, including major energy projects. The second independent review of the EPBC Act commenced in October 2019, which included a discussion regarding the inclusion of a climate trigger within the scope of the legislation. In February 2020, the EPBC Amendment (Climate Trigger) Bill 2020 was introduced to the Senate, which proposed penalties for emissions-intensive actions.

InfluenceMap Query

Energy Transition & Zero Carbon Technologies; GHG Emission Regulation

Policy Status

Active: Open to reform. Opportunity to positively influence progression of Bill.

Evidence Profile

264633

Key

opposing not supporting mixed/unclear
supporting strongly supporting

Policy Engagement Overview

  • The evidence collected on corporate and industry lobbying on the EPBC Act from 2019-2021 demonstrates that corporate influence on the policy has been overwhelmingly unsupportive of increased climate ambition under the legislation.
  • In 2020, Rio Tinto and industry associations including Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia, NSW Minerals Council (NSWMC), and Queensland Resources Council directly advocated for policymakers to exclude climate change considerations and/or HH emissions requirements from the EPBC Act.
  • In 2020, Anglo American and NSWMC lobbied to repeal Section 487 of the Act which extends special legal privileges to community groups to challenge federal environmental project approvals.

Impacts on Policy Ambition

There has been no change to the scope of the original EPBC Act to date. The recommendations of the Final Report of the Review, released in October 2020, did not support proposals to broaden the scope of ‘environmental matters’ under the EPBC Act to include climate change, in order to avoid duplication and the “muddling of responsibilities.” However, the Final Report found merit in mandating proposals assessed under the EPBC Act to “transparently disclose the full emissions profile of the development”. The reporting deadline for the EPBC Amendment (Climate Trigger) Bill 2020, which aims to broaden the scope of the original bill, is October 2021.

*The Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee was granted an extension of time to report until 20 October 2021.

InfluenceMap Query

Energy Transition & Zero Carbon Technologies; GHG Emission Regulation

Policy Status

Active: Open to reform. Opportunity to positively influence progression of Bill.

Evidence Profile

264633

Key

opposing not supporting mixed/unclear
supporting strongly supporting

Entities Engaged on Policy

The table below lists the entities tracked by InfluenceMap which have publicly engaged with the policy. InfluenceMap tracks around 300 companies and 150 industry associations globally. Each entity links back to the entities’ full InfluenceMap profile, where the evidence of its engagement can be found.

Influencemap Performance BandOrganizationEngagement Intensity
C+AGL Australia39UtilitiesOceania
DAlcoa14Metals & MiningNorth America
C-Ampol Limited (formerly Caltex Australia)10EnergyOceania
D+Anglo American23Metals & MiningEurope
BApple30Information TechnologyNorth America
CAustralia and New Zealand Banking Group11FinancialsOceania
D-Banpu10EnergyOceania
D+BHP38Metals & MiningOceania
C-Bluescope Steel35Metals & MiningOceania
D+Boral Limited8Metals & MiningOceania
CBP61EnergyEurope
D-Chevron49EnergyNorth America
C-CLP Holdings (EnergyAustralia)19UtilitiesAsia
D+Coles Group3Consumer StaplesOceania
C+Commonwealth Bank of Australia7FinancialsOceania
D-ConocoPhillips38EnergyNorth America
DExxonMobil52EnergyNorth America
C-Fortescue Metals Group29Metals & MiningOceania
D-Glencore International31Metals & MiningEurope
CInsurance Australia Group7FinancialsOceania
C-Lendlease5Construction MaterialsOceania
CMacquarie Group20FinancialsOceania
D+Mitsubishi Corporation22IndustrialsAsia
B-National Australia Bank12FinancialsOceania
D+Orica17IndustrialsOceania
C-Origin Energy44EnergyOceania
FPeabody19Metals & MiningNorth America
C-Qantas Airways13TransportationOceania
D+Rio Tinto Group39Metals & MiningEurope
CShell64EnergyEurope
DSantos23EnergyOceania
N/ASingapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel)3TelecommunicationsAsia
D+South3215Metals & MiningOceania
CSuncorp8FinancialsOceania
FSunset Power International (Delta Electricity)15UtilitiesOceania
CTelstra9TelecommunicationsOceania
D+Virgin Australia7TransportationOceania
DViva Energy12EnergyOceania
C-Wesfarmers14RetailingOceania
C+Westpac Banking Corporation15FinancialsOceania
E-Whitehaven Coal21Metals & MiningOceania
D-Woodside40EnergyOceania
CWoolworths Ltd10Consumer StaplesOceania
E+Yancoal14Metals & MiningOceania
DToyota Motor39AutomobilesAsia
N/AAMP5FinancialsOceania
CHolcim48Construction MaterialsEurope
N/AMetcash2Consumer StaplesOceania
DBeach Energy10EnergyNorth America
D-Newcrest Mining6MaterialsOceania
D+InterGen6EnergyEurope
C-Snowy Hydro12EnergyOceania
DTamboran Resources13EnergyOceania
D+Senex Energy11EnergyOceania
CAustralian Industry Group (Ai Group)56All SectorsOceania
C-Business Council of Australia53All SectorsOceania
E+Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry20All SectorsOceania
D+Australian Industry Greenhouse Network25EnergyOceania
DEnergy Users Association of Australia25EnergyOceania
A-Energy Efficiency Council27EnergyOceania
CAustralian Energy Council43EnergyOceania
A-Clean Energy Council39EnergyOceania
D-Minerals Council of Australia (MCA)49Metals & MiningOceania
ENSW Minerals Council32Metals & MiningOceania
EQueensland Resources Council (QRC)22Metals & MiningOceania
D-Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia (CME)27Metals & MiningOceania
E+Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA)43EnergyOceania
DAustralian Pipelines and Gas Association18EnergyOceania
BCarbon Market Institute45All SectorsOceania
C-Gas Energy Australia19EnergyOceania
CEnergy Networks Australia16EnergyOceania
DSouth Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy20Metals & MiningOceania
E+Association of Mining and Exploration Companies24Metals & MiningOceania
E+Australian Institute of Petroleum10EnergyOceania
N/AAustralian Steel Institute4All SectorsOceania
D+Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI)24AutomobilesOceania
BElectric Vehicle Council25AutomobilesOceania