Environment Protection Act 2019

• Jurisdiction: Northern Territory
• Year: 2019
• Type of Document: Acts

NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA

ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ACT 2019

As in force at 10 February 2026

Table of provisions

Part 1 Introduction

Division 1 Preliminary matters

1 Short title ......................................................................................... 1

2 Commencement .............................................................................. 1

3 Objects ............................................................................................ 1

4 Definitions ........................................................................................ 2

Division 2 Important concepts

5 Meaning of action .......................................................................... 16

6 Meaning of environment ................................................................ 17

7 Meaning of environmental harm .................................................... 17

8 Meaning of material environmental harm ...................................... 17

9 Meaning of significant environmental harm ................................... 17

10 Meaning of impact ......................................................................... 18

11 Meaning of significant impact ........................................................ 18

12 Meaning of significant variation ..................................................... 18

13 Meaning of strategic proposal ........................................................ 18

13A Meaning of mining activity ............................................................. 19

Division 3 Application provisions

14 Act binds Crown ............................................................................ 20

15 Civil remedies and common law not affected ................................ 20

16 Application of Criminal Code ......................................................... 20

Part 2 Principles of environment protection and

management

Division 1 Principles of ecologically sustainable

development

17 Principles of ecologically sustainable development ....................... 20

18 Decision-making principle .............................................................. 21

18A Principle of proportionality ............................................................. 21

19 Precautionary principle .................................................................. 21

20 Principle of evidence-based decision-making ................................ 21

21 Principle of intergenerational and intragenerational equity ............ 21

22 Principle of sustainable use ........................................................... 22

Environment Protection Act 2019 ii

23 Principle of conservation of biological diversity and ecological

integrity .......................................................................................... 22

24 Principle of improved valuation, pricing and incentive

mechanisms .................................................................................. 22

Division 2 Management hierarchies

25 Hierarchies .................................................................................... 22

26 Environmental decision-making hierarchy ..................................... 22

27 Waste management hierarchy ....................................................... 23

Part 3 Environment protection declarations

Division 1 Declaration of environmental objectives and

referral triggers

28 Declaration of environmental objectives ........................................ 23

29 Purpose and effect of referral triggers ........................................... 24

30 Declaration of referral triggers ....................................................... 24

31 NT EPA may recommend environmental objectives and

referral triggers and amendments .................................................. 25

32 Review of environmental objectives and referral triggers .............. 25

33 Amendment or revocation of environmental objective or

referral trigger ................................................................................ 25

34 Referral trigger – environmental offences ...................................... 25

Division 2 Protected environmental areas and prohibited

actions

35 Temporary declaration of protected environmental area ............... 27

36 Permanent declaration of protected environmental area ............... 28

37 Regulation of actions in declared areas ......................................... 29

38 Declaration of prohibited actions ................................................... 29

39 Revocation of declaration .............................................................. 30

40 Protected environmental areas – environmental offences ............. 31

41 Prohibited actions – environmental offences ................................. 32

Division 3 General

41A Interpretation ................................................................................. 34

Part 4 Environmental impact assessment process

Division 1 Purpose of environmental impact assessment

process

42 Purpose of environmental impact assessment process ................. 34

43 General duty of proponents ........................................................... 35

44 Certain referrals prohibited ............................................................ 35

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Division 2 Cooperative agreements

45 Cooperative agreements – assessment process ........................... 36

46 Proponent to have only one environmental impact assessment

process .......................................................................................... 36

47 Significant variation of action or strategic proposal ........................ 36

Division 3 Referral and assessment

Subdivision 1 Referrals

48 Referral of proposed action ........................................................... 37

49 Referral of strategic proposal ......................................................... 37

50 Referral if application made to statutory decision-maker ............... 37

Subdivision 2 Significant variations

51 Proponent to notify NT EPA of significant variation of

proposed action or strategic proposal ............................................ 38

51A Certain notifications taken to be referrals ...................................... 38

52 Approval holder to refer proposed significant variation for

assessment ................................................................................... 38

Subdivision 3 Call-in notices

53 Call-in notice .................................................................................. 39

54 Offence to contravene call-in notice .............................................. 39

Subdivision 4 Consideration by NT EPA

55 Process for considering referred actions and strategic

proposals ....................................................................................... 40

56 Process for considering notified significant variations ................... 41

Subdivision 5 Environmental impact assessment by NT EPA

57 NT EPA to carry out environmental impact assessments of

referred actions or strategic proposals .......................................... 42

Subdivision 6 Statutory authorisations

58 Statutory authorisations and environmental impact

assessments .................................................................................. 42

59 Statutory authorisation granted before referral of action ................ 43

59A Regulations for sections 58 and 59 ............................................... 43