The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) is Australia's principal federal law safeguarding the nation's environment, biodiversity, and natural and culturally significant places. Enacted on 16 July 2000, it replaced several older acts and established mechanisms, such as the Species Profile and Threats Database (SPRAT), to protect and recover threatened species and ecological communities. The Act, administered by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, derives its constitutional validity from legislative powers and international treaties.
Over its lifetime, significant amendments include establishing the National Heritage List in 2003 and the 2013 "Water trigger" to protect water resources from large-scale mining developments. Despite these efforts, numerous reviews, audits, and assessments have consistently found the EPBC Act deeply flawed and insufficient for providing adequate environmental protection.