Regulatory, policy and legislative updates
Summary of recent regulatory, policy and legislative updates. Listed with most recent update first.
| Date of change | Summary | Legislation, regulation or policy |
|---|---|---|
| 25 March 2024 |
New national standard for the environmental risk management of industrial chemicals The regulation of environmentally hazardous chemicals now occurs through the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (POEO Act) and key provisions from the Environmentally Hazardous Chemicals Act 1985 (EHC Act) and regulation will be transferred to the POEO Act. The EHC Act is now repealed. Environmental Legislation Amendment (Hazardous Chemicals) Act 2024 |
Legislation Regulation |
| 21 March 2024 |
Landmark environmental regulatory reforms
Environment Protection Legislation Amendment (Stronger Regulation and Penalties) Bill 2024 |
Bill for legislative reform passed Parliament on 21 March 2024 |
| 28 February 2024 |
Integrated waste tracking solution Enables waste consignors, transporters and receivers to track and report on all types of hazardous and regulated waste in one system. It is a key step towards delivering a nationally consistent hazardous waste tracking and data system, a commitment under the National Waste Policy Action Plan and NSW Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041. |
Policy Tools |
| 16 February 2024 |
Forestry: updates to Coastal IFOAs to ensure further protection for greater gliders Change to the Coastal Integrated Forestry Operations Approval (CIFOA) protocol, introducing a site-specific biodiversity condition for greater gliders that requires the retention of additional hollow bearing trees. This includes undertaking surveys for greater gliders and their dens at night, with results available to the EPA within 7 days of the survey and extra tree retention provisions. |
Policy |
| Phase-outs from June 2022 |
Banning of certain single-use plastics The NSW Plastics Action Plan highlights the phase-out of certain single-use plastics as a key action, with a timetable for phasing out the most littered plastic items. The Plastic Reduction and Circular Economy Act 2021 (PRCE Act) was made in November 2021 to enable this to occur. The legislation also provides a comprehensive framework that helps NSW transition towards a circular economy where materials and resources are valued and kept in the productive economy while creating jobs and protecting the environment and the community. |
Legislation Policy |