If we are serious about reversing the destruction of our nature and providing certainty for business then we must ensure that the National Environment Protection Agency, NEPA, is trusted by business, the community and civil society. To achieve that, it must be a truly independent arbiter and built on a foundation of transparency. NEPA will not be truly independent if the CEO is appointed by the minister of the day and if there is no independently selected board.

Australians are watching the decline of our nature and wildlife with growing alarm and heartbreak. They expect their government to respond with credible action to reverse this decline. My amendments to the National Environmental Protection Agency Bill 2025 are simple and are in line with what the environmental community and integrity organisations have been calling for. My amendments create an independent board to sit above NEPA, as is common with many other organisations. This board would oversee the functions of NEPA and, importantly, select the CEO. The board's functions would include appointing the CEO, determining policies and long-term strategic plans for the CEO, advising the CEO, and assessing and reporting on the CEO's performance. The board would have up to seven members, each with substantial experience and knowledge and significant standing in an area relevant to NEPA's functions. At least one board member must be an Indigenous person.

Critically, the board would be appointed through a robust and independent selection process, a process that most people would expect to be in place for positions as important as these. The selection process would require public advertising of the board positions, assessment of applications against selection criteria, and an independent panel to conduct the interviews and shortlist three candidates for each position for the minister's final selection. The minister would also decide which board member is selected as chair.

If a perception arises that a CEO is appointed because of who they know or their political proclivities rather than what they bring to the role, public trust in the integrity of the institution will be undermined. These amendments are common sense, and I've spent years now in this place pointing out the need for a greater level of independence in major Commonwealth public appointments such as this. Having a truly independent national EPA will be a critical factor in whether we do actually turn around the decline of our nature over the next decade. Australians, business and environment groups deserve a NEPA—a National Environmental Protection Agency—they can trust, and that means it has to be established in such a way that it is truly independent. This requires both the board and the CEO to be independently appointed. I commend these amendments to the House.

6 November 2025