Dear Ehab

Thank you for your email. We note that you have asked for responses to 3
questions, and consider this not to be an FOI request as it does not
relate to specific documents within the possession of the Department of
Agriculture, Water and the Environment (the Department).

Nevertheless, we have consulted with the relevant business areas of the
department and have collated the below responses for your information.

Queries 1 and 2 - 1- Release date of the new Koala referral guidelines? 2
- What other guidelines we can use temporarily to submit a Koala referral
application in absence of the new koala referral guidelines?

Response:

The previous EPBC Referral Guidelines for the Vulnerable Koala were based
on the 2012 conservation advice for the species.  With the recent
up-listing of Koala to endangered that conservation advice is no longer
current. The government has drafted a recovery plan, which is now with
relevant state governments to ensure that the recovery plan aligns with
their Koala plans and strategies and responds to the recent bushfire
impacts on Koalas.

Once the Koala Recovery Plan has been finalised, this will form the basis
for updated guidance materials (including around koala habitat), and we
anticipate that the development of guidance materials will include
industry consultation.   We do not have an indicative release date for
this at present.

In the interim, project proponents should use the [1]Significant Impact
Guidelines 1.1 – Matters of National Environmental Significance to
determine if their proposed action may need to be referred under the EPBC
Act.  These guidelines include the criteria for assessing potential
impacts on endangered species, and include general guidance on ‘habitat
critical to the survival of the species’.

If any proponents feel that their project might have potential impacts on
Koala, we recommend booking a [2]pre-referral meeting with the department
to better understand obligations under the EPBC Act.

Query 3 - 3- How can we find some land-based offset development
applications to learn about?

Response:

For information on offsets please see our department website that
introduces offsets (link to the new external website). On the website
there is a link to the EPBC Act Offsets Policy and great introductory
videos. In addition, the Department’s EPBC notice board is where you can
see decisions made under the EPBC Act relating to referrals, assessments,
management plans, variations, conditions of approvals and offset
management plans.
([3]http://epbcnotices.environment.gov.au/pu...).
Furthermore, you can find specific information relating to an actions
assessment documentation, which will contain information about proposed
offsets, and offset management plans published on the proponents/approval
holders website.

We consider that the above information resolves your query and consider
your query as finalised.

Kind regards

FOI Contact Officer | Information Law Team  |  Commercial, Information and
Agriculture Legal Branch  |  Legal Division

T: (02) 6274 2098 | E: [4][AWE request email]

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