Nature Positive Plan – Recent Progress

Recent Updates

The Federal Government has progressed 'Stage 2' of its Nature Positive Plan, with proposed new laws passing in the House of Representatives on 4 July 2024. 

Key takeaways: 

• The proposed new laws establish a new Federal environmental regulator to oversee compliance and enforcement action, and to make various assessment and approval decisions. 
• This has been coupled with a suite of proposed new compliance and enforcement tools and tougher penalties, which will put environmental offences on par with financial crime. 
• A new statutory function, known as Environment Information Australia, is also proposed to be created, which aims to provide high-quality environmental information to underpin policy, projects, investment and regulatory decision-making. 

Although no timeframe has been provided for the Stage 3 process, all Australian organisations should proactively work to understand their relationship with nature. This involves managing their nature-related risks and exploring opportunities to enhance nature within their supply chains or through the Nature Repair Market.

Establishing the business case for nature should start now, demonstrating the value of taking action and preparing for impending disclosure requirements. By doing so, you can navigate the evolving regulatory landscape, manage risk and discover opportunities while contributing to the restoration of nature.

NSW plan for nature

The NSW Government has recently released its response to the statutory reviews of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and the native vegetation provisions of the Local Land Services Act 2013. 

The response signals a shift in the way the state fulfills its responsibilities to protect the environment and manage native vegetation across the state, now and into the future. 

However, the response has faced widespread criticism. Many argue that while it acknowledges the biodiversity crisis, it does not adequately address the threats posed by major coal and gas projects.