Environmental responsibilities are shared between the Commonwealth (federal) government, six states and two territories, and over 560 local governments. To avoid duplication, the government has committed to a one-stop-shop policy for environmental approvals, whereby states/territories can enter bilateral agreements with the federal government in which the latter delegates assessment and/or approval of projects entirely to the state level. While progress has been made on co-ordination and guidance between levels of government, more efforts are needed to reduce overlap.
Good practice at the subnational level could be shared with other jurisdictions. For example, Australia lacks a fully integrated permitting regime but some states have introduced consolidated permits based on set conditions that cover multiple forms of environmental impact. In addition, some jurisdictions have developed a method for calculating and recovering economic benefits arising from the breach of an act. This tool is now available to other states and territories.
Progress has been made in strengthening integration of Indigenous communities in management of areas that are not under Indigenous ownership, such as national parks and marine parks. Still, Indigenous communities could be more systematically and effectively engaged in strategic land and marine planning. For example, greater Indigenous input could be sought at early stages of planning.