Section 514YC — Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999: Simplified outline of this Part

National environmental standards are legislative instruments made by the Minister. Before making a national environmental standard, the Minister must be satisfied that it promotes the objects of this Act and is not inconsistent with relevant international agreements. A national environmental standard must specify outcomes or objectives. It may also specify parameters, principles, processes or actions for achieving the outcomes or objectives. When varying or revoking a national environmental standard, the Minister must comply with the no regression principle. National environmental standards must be applied in making certain decisions under this Act. Those decisions are indicated either by the provision of this Act under which a decision is made or by the regulations. The regulations will prescribe which standards must be applied in making such decisions. For other decisions, where national environmental standards do not need to be applied, a decision maker can still choose to apply them.