Overview
The National Environmental Protection Agency Rules 2026 (registered as F2026L01105) came into force on 21 August 2026. The rules sit under the National Environmental Protection Agency Act 2025 and are administered by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
What the rules cover
The rules set out which decisions made under a range of existing environmental laws must be registered, and what details must be recorded when they are.
Laws covered
- Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act
- Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Act 1981
- Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1989
- Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989
- Product Emissions Standards Act 2017
- Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020
- Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018
Registration requirements
The rules prescribe which decisions under each of the listed Acts are registrable and what details must be recorded at the time of registration. The rules do not specify direct compliance obligations, penalties, or deadlines for small businesses.
Key actions
- If a business holds approvals or licences under any of the listed environmental laws - such as ozone protection, hazardous waste export or import, or product emissions standards - the rules mean decisions relating to those approvals will now be publicly registered.
- The full rules text is available at https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L01105 and lists which specific decisions under each Act are registrable and what details are prescribed.
This is a plain-English summary for information only, not legal or compliance advice. Always check the official source or consult a qualified professional.