Information for proponents on environmental impact assessment under the 2015 Assessment Bilateral Agreement

The Western Australian Government (WA) signed an assessment bilateral agreement with the Commonwealth Government under the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) on 3 October 2014, which came into effect on 1 January 2015.

The agreement allows WA to assess proposals likely to have a significant impact on the environment on behalf of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth will still make the approval decision under the EPBC Act relying on the WA assessment report. A separate Infosheet which provides a summary of key information about the new agreement is available on the Environmental Protection Authority’s (EPA) website.

The aim of this Infosheet is to provide more detailed information for proponents on the process and requirements for referral and the assessment of proposals under the assessment bilateral agreement. Part I provides general information about the referral and assessment process and Part II provides information on the additional process requirements for the Assessment on Proponent Information - category A level of assessment.

Published: 
February 1, 2015