Submission – National Environmental Standards for Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES) and Environmental Offsets

Critical amendments must be made to the draft National Environmental Standards to establish clear, measurable, enforceable and scientifically grounded requirements for environmental assessment, impact avoidance, mitigation and offsetting.
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The Academy recommends the draft NES be amended to:

  • refine or remove unnecessary discretionary language to strengthen the National Environmental Standards
  • include clear definitions, key terms and test criteria, supported by quantifiable thresholds and independent scientific assessment, in the Standards
  • amend the language in the draft Standards to ensure the Mitigation Hierarchy steps cannot be bypassed
  • add spatial impacts on hydrological systems to the impacts to protected matters that must be considered
  • ensure that the Standards for World Heritage and Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Wetlands) accord with Australia’s international obligations as a signatory to the relevant international conventions
  • underpin delegation of approvals through bilateral agreements through robust Standards.