Summary
Amends the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to: provide that, where an approval bilateral agreement declares that an action in a class of actions does not require approval, the action may not be referred to the minister for assessment and approval under Part 7 of the Act; enable the minister to complete an assessment and approval of an action where a bilateral agreement with a state or territory is suspended or cancelled, or an approval bilateral agreement otherwise ceases to apply to a particular action; remove the current prohibition on approval bilateral agreements applying to an action that has, will have or is likely to have a significant impact on water resources (the water trigger); allow the minister to accredit a broader range of state and territory approval processes for the purposes of approval bilateral agreements; enable the states and territories to make minor changes to environmental assessment processes without the need for the amendment of a bilateral agreement or the re-accreditation of a management arrangement or authorisation process; and make technical amendments in relation to the making and operation of bilateral agreements.