This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.
Climate, energy & environment
Australia would get a new independent Head of Environment Information AustraliaThe independent person who would lead Environment Information Australia and oversee its reporting and data functions. to make national environmental data easier for the public, government and regulators to find and use.
Australia’s environment was found to be poor and getting worse, and better national environmental data and independent reporting were missing. This bill creates an independent Environment Information AustraliaThe proposed new body that would collect, organise and publish national environmental data and reports. head, a public data portal, and regular state-of-the-environment and nature-positive reporting to improve transparency and accountability.
After the 2020 independent review of the EPBC ActAustralia’s main federal environment law, which the bill and its background material treat as the existing law needing major reform. said Australia needed fundamental reform and the 2021 State of the Environment ReportThe national report that checks how Australia’s environment is doing and whether conditions are getting better or worse. found the environment was poor and deteriorating, the government argued that better national data, public reporting and clearer accountability were missing. It introduced this bill in 2024 as part of its Nature Positive PlanThe government package of environment reforms this bill was part of, aimed at improving how Australia measures and manages nature. to create an independent Environment Information AustraliaThe proposed new body that would collect, organise and publish national environmental data and reports. head, a public data portal and regular national reporting, but the bill passed the House only and was later discharged from the Senate Notice PaperThe Senate schedule of business; once the bill was discharged from it, the bill stopped progressing. in February 2025.
The main criticism was that the bill mostly improves environmental data and reporting but does not itself stop habitat loss, extinctions or new coal and gas projects, so critics said it risks looking like reform without stronger protection laws behind it. That case was raised mainly by Greens MPs, while the broader parliamentary debate otherwise showed limited direct opposition to the bill itself.
Hon Tanya Plibersek MP introduced this bill. It was supported by Labor, Centre Alliance, some crossbench members; opposed by Liberal Party, Nationals, Greens, Katter's Australian Party; and did not pass.
Did it become law?
No
The bill did not complete passage through Parliament.
Final passage
Did not pass
2 recorded votes before the bill stopped proceeding
Time before failure
252 days
From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding
Meaning
Australia would get a new independent Head of Environment Information AustraliaThe independent person who would lead Environment Information Australia and oversee its reporting and data functions. to make national environmental data easier for the public, government and regulators to find and use.
A national public portal would bring together environmental data from many sources, but the Head of Environment Information AustraliaThe independent person who would lead Environment Information Australia and oversee its reporting and data functions. could not force people or organisations to hand it over.
The bill would require independent national reporting on whether Australia is improving nature overall, using a baseline to measure changes in ecosystems over time.
Australia’s State of the Environment reportThe national report that checks how Australia’s environment is doing and whether conditions are getting better or worse. would be published every two years, and the federal government would have to publicly respond and set or confirm national environmental goals.
The bill would restrict the release of sensitive environmental information and impose civil penaltiesFinancial penalties for breaking the bill’s information rules, used instead of criminal charges. for using or sharing protected informationSensitive information that the bill would restrict from public release if sharing it could cause harm or expose confidential material. without proper authorisation.
Access to authoritative sources of high quality environmental information underpins a Nature Positive Australia by informing policy, project, investment and regulatory decision making. The Nature Positive (Environment Information Australia) Bill 2024 (the EIA Bill) would establish the statutory position of the Head of Environment Information Australia (HEIA), to improve the availability and accessibility of high quality, national, environmental data and information, and ensure that there is independent reporting and accountability for the state of the environment and our effectiveness in protecting and restoring it.Nature Positive (Environment Information Australia) explanatory memorandum
The EIA Bill would provide a facilitative approach to data and information sharing. The EIA Bill would not confer coercive powers on the HEIA. It is intended the HEIA will work with data custodians to bring together and make accessible data and information from a range of sources, including scientific bodies, academic institutions, project proponents, environmental groups and Commonwealth, State and Territory regulators. Information gathered by the HEIA would be used in the performance of their functions. This would include the provision of a public environment data portal.Nature Positive (Environment Information Australia) explanatory memorandum
The EIA Bill would introduce an independent function for the HEIA to report on Australia’s progress towards nature positive. The EIA Bill would define nature positive as an ‘improvement in the diversity, abundance, resilience and integrity of ecosystems from a baseline’. It would charge the HEIA with developing and implementing a monitoring, evaluation and reporting framework to report on Australia’s progress towards achieving this objective.Nature Positive (Environment Information Australia) explanatory memorandum
The EIA Bill would also increase public accountability through requiring the Government to publicly commit to its environmental goals and respond to the findings of the State of the Environment reports. These changes would create a feedback loop that provides evidence of environmental condition and progress toward environmental goals, while informing actions to effect further improvements. The analysis of trends in the State of the Environment report will also be supported by the HEIA’s other functions, such as the establishment and maintenance of environmental economic accounts.Nature Positive (Environment Information Australia) explanatory memorandum
The EIA Bill would include a regime for the use and disclosure of information for the purposes of the functions of the HEIA and people assisting the HEIA, which would balance the appropriate use and disclosure of information against the protection of sensitive information. The public disclosure of protected information would be restricted under the EIA Bill, although the Bill would enable the sharing of sensitive information to individuals for authorised purposes under the condition of non-disclosure. The EIA Bill would include civil penalties where use or disclosure happens otherwise than as authorised.Nature Positive (Environment Information Australia) explanatory memorandum
Context
After the 2020 independent review of the EPBC ActAustralia’s main federal environment law, which the bill and its background material treat as the existing law needing major reform. said Australia needed fundamental reform and the 2021 State of the Environment ReportThe national report that checks how Australia’s environment is doing and whether conditions are getting better or worse. found the environment was poor and deteriorating, the government argued that better national data, public reporting and clearer accountability were missing. It introduced this bill in 2024 as part of its Nature Positive PlanThe government package of environment reforms this bill was part of, aimed at improving how Australia measures and manages nature. to create an independent Environment Information AustraliaThe proposed new body that would collect, organise and publish national environmental data and reports. head, a public data portal and regular national reporting, but the bill passed the House only and was later discharged from the Senate Notice PaperThe Senate schedule of business; once the bill was discharged from it, the bill stopped progressing. in February 2025.
Samuel review says national environment law needs fundamental reform
The independent review of the EPBC ActAustralia’s main federal environment law, which the bill and its background material treat as the existing law needing major reform. said Australia’s environmental trajectory would not change without major reform of the national system.
Australian Parliament House ↗State of the Environment reportThe national report that checks how Australia’s environment is doing and whether conditions are getting better or worse. finds decline is continuing
The 2021 State of the Environment ReportThe national report that checks how Australia’s environment is doing and whether conditions are getting better or worse. found the overall state and trend of Australia’s environment were poor and deteriorating under pressures including climate change, habitat loss, invasive species, pollution and resource extraction.
Australian Parliament House ↗Government introduces the bill as part of the Nature Positive PlanThe government package of environment reforms this bill was part of, aimed at improving how Australia measures and manages nature.
The minister said the bill would make environmental data easier to access and create an independent head of Environment Information AustraliaThe independent person who would lead Environment Information Australia and oversee its reporting and data functions. to report transparently on environmental trends.
Hansard ↗House passes the bill
The bill cleared the House of Representatives, moving its data and reporting reforms on to the Senate.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Senate receives the bill
The bill was introduced in the Senate and the second readingThe stage in Parliament where the bill is debated in principle before detailed consideration. was moved, but it did not complete that chamber.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Bill is discharged from the Notice PaperThe Senate schedule of business; once the bill was discharged from it, the bill stopped progressing.
The Senate removed the bill from the Notice PaperThe Senate schedule of business; once the bill was discharged from it, the bill stopped progressing., ending its progress without the proposed Environment Information AustraliaThe proposed new body that would collect, organise and publish national environmental data and reports. scheme becoming law.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Legislative route
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second readingThe stage in Parliament where the bill is debated in principle before detailed consideration., opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second readingThe stage in Parliament where the bill is debated in principle before detailed consideration. moved
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Referred to Committee (27/06/2024): Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee; Committee report (09/09/2024)
Referred to committee
APH bill page notesThe bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Recorded vote: 84 to 53.
The chamber agreed to the bill at second readingThe stage in Parliament where the bill is debated in principle before detailed consideration., meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Second readingThe stage in Parliament where the bill is debated in principle before detailed consideration. agreed to
The chamber considered the bill in detail and dealt with amendments before the next stage.
Consideration in detail debate
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Third reading agreed to
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second readingThe stage in Parliament where the bill is debated in principle before detailed consideration., opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second readingThe stage in Parliament where the bill is debated in principle before detailed consideration. moved
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Key criticism
The main criticism was that the bill mostly improves environmental data and reporting but does not itself stop habitat loss, extinctions or new coal and gas projects, so critics said it risks looking like reform without stronger protection laws behind it. That case was raised mainly by Greens MPs, while the broader parliamentary debate otherwise showed limited direct opposition to the bill itself.
Criticism focused on the bill being too weak, not on rejecting better environmental information in principle.
Better data without stronger protections
Critics argued the bill creates another information body but does not fix the underlying weakness of federal environment laws, so better reporting alone would not prevent environmental decline or species loss.
Could coexist with faster approvals for damaging projects
Critics said the bill sat within a broader package that could still allow coal, gas, native forest logging and other damaging development to continue, meaning improved information might accompany faster approvals rather than tougher environmental limits.
Further sources
Votes
These were the main recorded votes on the bill.
Passed 84 to 53. Support came from Labor, Centre Alliance, and minor parties and independents. Opposition came from Liberal Party, Nationals, Greens, and Katter's Australian Party.
Other recorded votes grouped by chamber. Expand a vote to see the party breakdown.
House
Defeated 12 to 34. Support came from Greens and minor parties and independents. Opposition came from Labor and Liberal Party.
If carried, the bill would have included a more specific legal definition and long-term recovery targets instead of relying on broader wording about nature positiveOn this page, the idea that Australia should not only stop environmental decline but improve the diversity, abundance, resilience and integrity of ecosystems.. The House rejected the amendments, so the bill kept its original text.
This list includes amendment votes, procedural votes and votes on the bill itself.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
Plibersek supports the bill and says it will create Environment Information AustraliaThe proposed new body that would collect, organise and publish national environmental data and reports. to give the public, regulators and government better environmental data, stronger transparency and more consistent reporting.
Read in Hansard ↗Bandt opposes the bill, saying it is a broken promise that will not protect koalas, stop native forest logging, or halt coal and gas expansion.
Read in Hansard ↗Ryan supports the bill as part of the Nature PositiveOn this page, the idea that Australia should not only stop environmental decline but improve the diversity, abundance, resilience and integrity of ecosystems. reforms, but says the new environment information body is only a step in the right direction and will not fix the deeper problems without broader EPBC reform and crossbench amendments.
Read in Hansard ↗Kylea Tink is broadly comfortable with the Environment Information AustraliaThe proposed new body that would collect, organise and publish national environmental data and reports. bill in isolation, but says it should be strengthened with clearer duties on access to information and meaningful consultation before she can be fully satisfied with it.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
16 speakers · 17 contributions · 16 support
“We're now moving quickly to establish an environment protection agency and Environment Information Australia. These are crucial elements of our plans to create a Nature Positive Australia, and we want to get them in place as soon as possible—so they can begin their important work.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“These bills also set up the Head of Environment Information Australia, an independent position with a legislative mandate to provide environmental data and information to the EPA. It's so important to have this independent position to transparently report on different changes in the environment. Both of these are major initiatives that we do absolutely need to see in place.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“The second bill before the house is the Nature Positive (Environment Information Australia) Bill 2024, which sets up a statutory and independent head of the new Environment Information Australia, EIA, which will provide up-to-date and transparent environmental data and information. It will be a reliable source to help business make faster and easier development decisions. The EIA will release State of the environment reports every two years, instead of five, so we have a better understanding of what's going on.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“The Nature Positive (Environment Protection Australia) Bill 2024, along with the Nature Positive (Environment Information Australia) Bill 2024 and Nature Positive (Environment Law Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2024, represents a transformative step towards a sustainable and prosperous future. These bills reflect our government's firm commitment to taking decisive action on climate change and biodiversity conservation, ensuring that Australia remains a global leader in environmental stewardship. Ultimately, these bills represent a critical step towards realising our vision of a nature-positive Australia. I am proud to stand in support of them, as I have done at each step of the Nature Positive Plan along the way. I commend these bills to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“Another aspect of the work of the EPA will be to advise the minister in government. They'll be able to make decisions as required but, in practice, decisions will be made on the advice of the EPA. The EPA will also be required to provide feedback on improvements to environmental laws. They will work closely with the head of Environment Information Australia—the ABS for the bush—which is a position that will be established through these reforms. The head of Environment Information Australia will be an independent position with the legislative mandate to provide transparent information and environmental data to the EPA, to the minister and to the public. Environment Information Australia will work with scientists, First Nations people and other experts to collect information and to produce reliable and consistent tracking information on the state of the environment. This will enable the EPA and state and territory governments to have better access to reliable data for planning and decision-making. Good data is the foundation of driving a nature-positive Australia.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“But what we weren't seeing was the cumulative impact. You're getting decision after decision after decision after decision, in many cases involving reduction in habitat and other kinds of pressures on threatened species, and, while those decisions, one by one, might have been tolerable as far as the health of a threatened ecosystem or a particular species, in combination they were pushing species off the cliff and they were pushing ecological communities closer and closer to the brink. Environment Information Australia will help us stop that because it will give us that picture, and it will work really well alongside the other reform that we've introduced, the Nature Repair Market Bill. That falls under the same category as this sort of stuff.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“The Australian people expect and deserve a government that not only speaks about environmental protection but acts decisively to achieve it, based on the science. The path forward is clear. We must continue to implement and expand our reforms, ensuring that our laws and policies are robust, enforceable and effective. This includes the passage of this bill and the establishment of a national environment protection agency and Environment Information Australia, which will provide everything that the public, industry and the government need to comprehensively protect our environment. As long as I have the privilege to serve in this place, I'll work tirelessly to deliver the reforms we need to ensure we have laws that protect our environment for generations to come. I commend this bill to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I am pleased to rise to speak in favour of this important bill that is the next stage of this government working towards the Nature Positive Plan. This involves two elements: firstly, the creation of Australia's first national independent environmental protection agency, the EPA, which will be a body with strong new powers and penalties to protect nature; secondly, it is a step forward when it comes to accountability and transparency with a new body called Environment Information Australia.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“These bills also set up the head of Environment Information Australia, which is an independent position with a legislative mandate to provide environmental data and information to the EPA, the minister and the public. This is an independent position to transparently report on trends in the environment. This will support actions and decisions to halt and reverse the decline of nature and in turn protect and restore nature.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“This is an incredibly significant bill and an incredibly ambitious plan that we have to protect our environment. I commend the bill to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“By establishing robust regulatory frameworks, improving data accessibility and a ensuring smooth transition, the Albanese government's nature-positive plan sets the stage for a sustainable and resilient future. This legislation not only addresses current environmental challenges but also lays the foundation for long-term ecological health, economic prosperity and social wellbeing. It is a crucial step towards ensuring that Australia remains a vibrant, healthy and thriving nation for generations to come. I commend this bill to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“One of the other parts of this legislation that we're debating today is around the Environment Information Australia aspect. That is a body to enable better availability and use of environmental data, both in planning and decision-making. These bills set up the head of Environment Information Australia so it's an independent position with a legislative mandate to provide environmental data and information to the EPA, to the minister and to the public. That independent position is to report transparently on trends in the environment, and that will support the actions and decisions that we take to halt and reverse the decline and, in turn, to protect and restore nature.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“The bill also defines, for the first time, the term 'nature positive' and introduces a requirement to report on Australia's national progress towards that outcome. This will be the first time that any country has defined 'nature positive' in legislation and put in place national reporting against this objective.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“This is an ideal outcome and this bill will help to make sure that more ideal outcomes will continue to be delivered. This bill is common sense. It makes sure that the laws we make are being followed and that our goals are being met, and it helps us to have access to the best possible information to make this happen. It's about helping to make the right decisions faster, and it's all for a cause that I don't think anyone can disagree with, making sure we better look after the environment. I commend this legislation to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Hansard records 2 separate contributions by Tanya Plibersek on this bill. They are grouped here so the speaker is listed once.
Minister's second reading speech
Plibersek supports the bill and says it will create Environment Information AustraliaThe proposed new body that would collect, organise and publish national environmental data and reports. to give the public, regulators and government better environmental data, stronger transparency and more consistent reporting. She argues this will improve decision-making, support nature-positive policy and make the government more accountable for environmental outcomes.
“I commend the bill to the House.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
Second reading speech
Plibersek supports the bill, saying it will create a legal definition of nature positiveOn this page, the idea that Australia should not only stop environmental decline but improve the diversity, abundance, resilience and integrity of ecosystems., require national progress reporting, and improve accountability for halting biodiversity loss by 2030. She also frames it as part of a broader reform package and says the government will keep working with the crossbench on the remaining nature positiveOn this page, the idea that Australia should not only stop environmental decline but improve the diversity, abundance, resilience and integrity of ecosystems. changes.
“The Nature Positive (Environment Information Australia) Bill would also make Australia the first country in the world to define the term 'nature positive' in legislation and introduce a requirement to report on national progress towards that outcome. This would be measured from a national baseline that the head of Environment Information Australia will independently set together with relevant experts. This will create accountability for our collective national efforts to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, as we've committed to under the Convention on Biological Diversity's global biodiversity framework.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
“The Nature Positive (Environment Information Australia) Bill 2024 delivers on this promise by establishing Environment Information Australia, the EIA. And the Nature Positive (Environment Law Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2024 provides the powers to the minister to address many of the unintended outcomes or unforeseen issues related to transitioning to the EPA.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
3 speakers · 3 oppose
“This bill, the government's plan, won't save koalas. It won't stop native forest logging, and it won't stop the expansion of the coal and gas industry. In fact, the extinction crisis and global warming will continue to get worse. This is a broken promise that sells out our environment and the millions of Australians who want climate action. Instead, Labor has caved in to the coal and gas industry, who want faster and easier approvals for their polluting and damaging new coal and gas mines.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“Then we come to this backdown on environmental laws and this joke of a bill that, again, as is so typical of this government, makes it look like they're doing something verbally and rhetorically. But at the same time they are taking actions that are doing the complete opposite thing and accelerating climate change.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“Environment Information Australia won't stop extinctions. It will, at best, let us know that they're happening, all while speeding up approvals that destroy more habitat.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
2 speakers · 1 support · 1 mixed
“Looking at it in isolation, I'm broadly comfortable with it.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“The accompanying bill establishes Environment Information Australia within the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. This division will develop and implement a national environmental data strategy and oversee the national environmental information supply chain, including the Biodiversity Data Repository.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
House · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
House · Second reading moved
Second readingThe stage in Parliament where the bill is debated in principle before detailed consideration. opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second readingThe stage in Parliament where the bill is debated in principle before detailed consideration., opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
House · Second reading debate
Second readingThe stage in Parliament where the bill is debated in principle before detailed consideration. debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Second reading debate
Second readingThe stage in Parliament where the bill is debated in principle before detailed consideration. debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Second reading debate
Second readingThe stage in Parliament where the bill is debated in principle before detailed consideration. debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Second reading debate
Second readingThe stage in Parliament where the bill is debated in principle before detailed consideration. debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Second reading debate
Second readingThe stage in Parliament where the bill is debated in principle before detailed consideration. debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Second reading agreed to
Recorded vote: 84 to 53.
Second readingThe stage in Parliament where the bill is debated in principle before detailed consideration. agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at second readingThe stage in Parliament where the bill is debated in principle before detailed consideration., meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
House · Consideration in detail debate
Consideration in detail
The chamber considered the bill in detail and dealt with amendments before the next stage.
House · Third reading agreed to
Third reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Senate · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Senate · Second reading moved
Second readingThe stage in Parliament where the bill is debated in principle before detailed consideration. opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second readingThe stage in Parliament where the bill is debated in principle before detailed consideration., opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Senate · Discharged from Notice Paper
Discharged from Notice PaperThe Senate schedule of business; once the bill was discharged from it, the bill stopped progressing.
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee; Committee report (09/09/2024)
Referred to committee
Referred to Committee (27 June 2024): Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee; Committee report (9 Sept 2024)
APH bill page notes
