Commonwealth Consolidated Acts Commonwealth Consolidated ActsThe following is a simplified outline of this Chapter:
This Chapter provides a basis for the Minister to decide whether an action that has, will have or is likely to have a significant impact on certain aspects of the environment should proceed.
It does so by prohibiting a person from taking an action without the Minister having given approval or decided that approval is not needed. (Part 9 deals with the giving of approval.)
Approval is not needed to take an action if any of the following declare that the action does not need approval:
(a) a bilateral agreement between the Commonwealth and the State or Territory in which the action is taken;
(b) a declaration by the Minister.
Also, an action does not need approval if it is taken in accordance with
Regional Forest Agreements or it is for a purpose for which, under a zoning
plan for a zone made under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 , the
zone may be used or entered without permission.