The draft National Environmental Standard for Data and Information is one of a suite of standards being developed under reforms to Australia's national environmental laws.
Background
These standards are intended to guide decision-making under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The Data and Information Standard proposes requirements and principles for how environmental data and information are collected, described, managed and used to support environmental assessments and decision-making under the EPBC Act.
ALCA's recommendations
ALCA has provided recommendations for detailed legislative amendments that would improve the clarity and integrity of the Standard by requiring direct adherence to its principles and ensuring environmental data is collected consistently with relevant Commonwealth, state and territory laws. This includes:
- Removing alternative ‘equivalent’ compliance pathways that could allow proponents or decision-makers to meet the Standard through interpretations that are not fully consistent with its principles.
- Ensuring data used in environmental decision-making has been collected lawfully, by preventing situations where unlawfully obtained data could potentially be relied on through alternative evidence provisions.
- Strengthening ethical safeguards by always requiring all reasonable efforts to comply with relevant Commonwealth, state and territory laws when collecting, managing and providing environmental data and information.
For our detailed legislative amendments to the Standard, download our full submission.
