Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Board of Management Functions) Act 2025

No. 51, 2025

An Act to amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and for related purposes

Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Board of Management Functions) Act 2025

No. 51, 2025

An Act to amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and for related purposes

[Assented to 30 October 2025]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1 Short title

This Act is the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Board of Management Functions) Act 2025.

2 Commencement

(1) Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

Commencement information
Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
Provisions	Commencement	Date/Details
1. The whole of this Act	The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.	31 October 2025

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.

(2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.

3 Schedules

Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1—Amendments

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

1 Paragraph 364(1)(b)

Omit all the words after “reserve is”, substitute:

contrary to:

(i) a management plan in operation for the reserve; or

(ii) if a management plan for the reserve has ceased to be in operation, and no further management plan for the reserve has yet come into operation—the most recent management plan that was in operation for the reserve.

2 After paragraph 376(1)(a)

Insert:

(aa) if a management plan for the reserve has ceased to be in operation, and no further management plan for the reserve has yet come into operation—to make decisions relating to the management of the reserve that are consistent with the most recent management plan that was in operation for the reserve; and

3 At the end of subsection 376(1)

Add:

Note: A Board must prepare management plans for a reserve in conjunction with the Director, to try to ensure that a plan for the reserve is in operation as soon as practicable after the Board is established, and at all times after a plan first takes effect after the Board’s establishment. See subsection 366(3).