The Climate and Health Alliance and Public Health Association of Australia have developed a joint Submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025 and six related bills.

Read the full submission here.

Our key recommendations:

1. Protecting and promoting human health is included as a core object of the Reform Bill.
2. The provision for the Minister to approve projects that do not meet National Environmental Standards or devolve powers to states and territories should be excluded from the proposed legislation.
3. Fossil fuel projects should be explicitly excluded the national interest test as well as the streamlined approvals process.
4. Strong provisions should be introduced to facilitate the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in decision making on proposed developments, as well as in monitoring the impact of approved projects.
5. Human health impact assessments be mandatory for all developments.
6. The cumulative harms of a proposed development on the environment, human health and emissions output of a proposed development must be considered holistically and account for other activities and approved projects impacting populations and sites over time.
7. Human health impacts on air, soil and climate change should be included in the unacceptable impacts identified in the Reform Bill, as well as water.
8. Projected scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions be mandatorily disclosed and independently verified for all development proposals, with power for NEPA to refuse projects inconsistent with Australia's climate commitments and international obligations.
9. Public health considerations and expertise should be represented in decision-making, assessments, and auditing at the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA).
10. Remove all exemptions for prior authorisations and continuations of use that exempt activities with significant environmental impacts from EPBC Act assessment.
11. The National Environmental Standards must be explicit, detailed, clear and enforceable, with strict compliance checks and appropriate penalties for infringing on Standards.
12. Strengthen the independence of the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) and ensure its decision making is transparent and accountable.

We urgently need to strengthen Australia’s environmental protection laws to protect and restore ecosystems, prevent dangerous climate and pollution and safeguard human health.