Statutory Review of Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (NSW)

Damning Findings from Review of Biodiversity Conservation Act

The findings from the 5-year statutory review of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (NSW) (BC Act) are in, and it doesn't make for happy reading.

Pursuant to section 14.11(1) of the BC Act, the Minister is to review this Act to determine whether the policy objectives of the Act remain valid and whether the terms of the Act remain appropriate for securing those objectives.

The short answer from this statutory review is that they do not. Lead Independent Reviewer Dr. Ken Henry AC states that "it is clear to the Review Panel that the operative provisions of the Act are incapable of supporting its objectives".