Parliament passed the Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025 on November 28, creating the nation’s first independent federal EPA to assess major projects, enforce rules, and impose penalties.
The agency will speed up approvals for housing, renewables, and minerals from years to months while requiring emissions disclosures, national standards, and net environmental gains.
Labor struck a deal with the Greens for 91 amendments, ending some exemptions and adding forest protections, though the opposition criticised it as harmful to mining and property rights.
