Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION ACT 1999 - SECT 516A

Annual reports for Commonwealth entities

  (1)   The accountable authority of a Commonwealth entity (within the meaning of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 ) must ensure that an annual report prepared under section   46 of that Act complies with subsection   (6) of this section.

Annual reports of Commonwealth companies

  (4)   The directors of a Commonwealth company (within the meaning of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 ) that is a Commonwealth agency must ensure that the documents given to the responsible Minister (within the meaning of that Act) under section   97 of that Act include a report complying with subsection   (6) of this section.

Annual reports of other Commonwealth agencies

  (5)   A Commonwealth agency that is:

  (a)   established by or under a law of the Commonwealth; and

  (b)   required by law to give the Minister responsible for it an annual report; and

  (c)   not described in subsection   (1) or (4);

must ensure that the annual report complies with subsection   (6).

Content of report

  (6)   A report described in subsection   (1), (4) or (5) relating to a body or person (the reporter ) for a period must:

  (a)   include a report on how the activities of, and the administration (if any) of legislation by, the reporter during the period accorded with the principles of ecologically sustainable development; and

  (b)   identify how the outcomes (if any) specified for the reporter in an Appropriations Act relating to the period contribute to ecologically sustainable development; and

  (c)   document the effect of the reporter's activities on the environment; and

  (d)   identify any measures the reporter is taking to minimise the impact of activities by the reporter on the environment; and

  (e)   identify the mechanisms (if any) for reviewing and increasing the effectiveness of those measures.

Note:   The Auditor - General Act 1997 lets the Auditor - General audit a reporter's compliance with these requirements.

  (7)   In subsection   (6):

"activities" includes:

  (a)   developing and implementing policies, plans, programs and legislation; and

  (b)   the operations of a department, authority, company or agency referred to in this section.