Extensions to EPBC Act listing assessment and decision timeframes
The Minister has granted extensions on the following items.
‘River Murray and associated wetlands, floodplains and groundwater systems, from the junction of the Darling River to the sea’
The assessment timeframe for this ecological community has been extended until 30 September 2012. This will enable a more considered assessment of this complex nomination and enable further consultation with experts, stakeholders, indigenous groups and the public, across relevant jurisdictions. Note, the ecological community has been renamed from that occurring on the 2008 FPAL as ‘Lower Murray River and associated wetlands, floodplains and groundwater systems from the junction of the Darling River to the sea’ and it was originally nominated as ‘Coorong and Lower Lakes’ (Lakes Alexandrina and Albert).
‘Wetland Complexes of the upper Darling Riverine Plains Bioregion’
The assessment timeframe for this ecological community has been extended until 30 September 2012. This will enable a more considered assessment of this complex nomination and enable further consultation with experts and stakeholders. Note, the ecological community has been renamed from that occurring on the 2009 FPAL as ‘Wetlands of the Darling Basin’ and it was originally nominated as ‘Macquarie Marshes’.
Koala
The Minister has extended his decision timeframe for this species from 31 October 2011 until 17 February 2012.
The koala was nominated for listing as a threatened species under national environment law—the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999—and was assessed by the Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC) during 2008–2010.
The TSSC provided its assessment of the national koala population to the federal environment minister on 30 September 2010. The Senate, with the support of the government, established an inquiry into the status, health and sustainability of Australia’s koala population and reported on 22 September 2011.
The TSSC conducted a thorough assessment of the status of the national koala population, including an extensive literature review, an expert workshop and public and expert submissions.
The TSSC recommended that the koala was not eligible for listing as nationally threatened, but noted that reaching a conclusion was challenging due to significant gaps in national koala population data.
The Minister has extended the decision timeframe on the listing of the koala as a threatened species, so that he can consider the Senate inquiry’s findings and new information that has become available since the TSSC provided its advice in 2010.
The TSSC’s advice of September 2010, which preceded the inquiry, was made publicly available so that it could inform the Inquiry’s deliberations.
- Koala listing advice (PDF - 324 KB) | (RTF - 1248 KB)
- Threatened Species Scientific Committee letter to the Minister (PDF - 22 KB) | (RTF - 1248 KB)
- Decision date on koala threatened species listing extended - media release 31 October 2011
Other information
To help protect this iconic species, the federal, state and territory governments are implementing the National Strategy for Koala Conservation and Management 2009-2014.
‘Western Victorian Freshwater Swamps Community’ and ‘Temperate Lowland Plains Grassy Wetland’
The assessment timeframes for these two ecological communities have been extended until 30 September 2011. This will facilitate a more thorough assessment of these complex nominations and enable a broader consultation with experts, stakeholders and the public, across relevant jurisdictions.
‘Damage to marine ecosystems by trawling in the area of the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery’
The Minister has extended his decision timeframe for this key threatening process to 31 July 2012, being closely linked with the assessment of dogfish species for which a listing decision is due on 31 July 2012.
Dogfish – Centrophorus harrissoni and C. zeehaani
The Minister has extended his decision timeframe for two species of dogfish (gulper sharks) – Centrophorus harrissoni and C. zeehaani to 31 July 2012.
‘Fire regimes that cause biodiversity decline’ (formerly ‘contemporary fire regimes resulting in the loss of vegetation heterogeneity and biodiversity throughout Australia)’
The assessment timeframe for this key threatening process was extended from 30 September 2010 until 31 March 2011 due to a delay in the public consultation period which occurred as a result of the tragic Victorian bushfires. The extension allowed the TSSC to consider the information learned in enquiries following these tragic fires.
The Minister has received the Threatened Species Scientific Committee's advice and extended his timeframe to make a decision on whether to list this key threatening process from 31 March 2012 to 30 September 2012.
This is to allow for further consultation with state and territory governments and to allow the Minister's decision to take into consideration the Department's review of key threatening processes and development of a policy framework to manage threats.
‘Novel biota and their impact on biodiversity’
The assessment timeframe for this key threatening process was initially extended from September 2010 until 30 June 2011 due to a delay in undertaking public consultation that was a result of the extra time required to prepare the complex nomination.
The Minister has received the Threatened Species Scientific Committee's advice and has extended his timeframe to make a decision on whether to list this key threatening process from 30 June 2011 to 30 September 2012.
This is to allow the Minister's decision to take into consideration the Department's review of key threatening processes and the development of a policy framework to manage threats.