FED New National Environmental Protection Agency and Fines for Misusing Protected Information

National Environmental Protection Agency Bill 2025

27 Nov 2025: Passed by Parliament and signed off by the governor.

This bill kicks in: TBA

House of Representatives

Senate

Assent

Links to official parliament websites

Official page: progress through parliament

Effects of this bill

If this bill passes, it means that:

Establishes the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA).
The CEO of NEPA can request information, advice or documents in writing.
The CEO of NEPA must establish and maintain registers.
Entrusted persons can use or disclose information about a person if they have consent.
Entrusted persons face a civil penalty of 200 penalty units for unauthorised use or disclosure of protected information.
The Minister can give the CEO a statement of expectations; this cannot direct the CEO or affect their independence.
The Minister must arrange for independent reviews of how NEPA is administered.
The Minister must table review reports in Parliament within 15 sitting days of receiving them.
The bill creates the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA).
The CEO of NEPA must set up and keep registers. Rules will decide what information goes on these registers.
The CEO of NEPA can ask for information, advice, or documents in writing.
The Minister can give the CEO of NEPA a statement of expectations. This statement cannot tell the CEO how to do their job or affect their independence.
The Minister must organize independent reviews of how NEPA is run. The Minister must then give a copy of the review report to both Houses of Parliament within 15 sitting days.
People entrusted with protected information can use or share it if they have consent. If they use or share it without authorization, they face a civil penalty of 200 penalty units.
The bill creates the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA).
The Governor-General appoints a CEO to lead NEPA for up to five years.
The CEO of NEPA can request information, advice, or documents in writing.
The CEO of NEPA must create and keep registers and publish information from them.
The Minister must organize independent reviews of how NEPA is run and give the reports to Parliament.
The Minister can give the CEO a statement of expectations, but this cannot be used to direct the CEO or affect their independence.
People entrusted with protected information can only use or share it if they have consent.
People entrusted with protected information face a civil penalty of 200 penalty units if they use or share it without permission.

Topics

data privacy environmental protection government accountability government agency government oversight government transparency information disclosure information sharing privacy public administration regulatory compliance +6 more