100th meeting of the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority Board
The Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority (NT EPA) is an independent authority established in 2012, under the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority Act 2012.
The NT EPA held its first meeting on 29 January 2013. At that time the NT EPA comprised 6 members, including its inaugural Chairperson Dr Bill Freeland and the Chair of the Northern Territory Planning Commission Gary Nairn AO.
Thirteen years on and the NT EPA celebrated its 100th meeting in Darwin on 6 February 2024.
Now chaired by Dr Paul Vogel AM and comprising 7 members in total, the NT EPA brings a wealth of expertise, knowledge and experience to its role in advising the Minister for Environment on the environmental acceptability of significant developments proposals, environmental policy matters, and regulating activities to encourage effective waste management, pollution control and sustainable practices.
There have been 14 current and former members of the NT EPA, with Ms Janice van Reyk the only member remaining on the NT EPA since it was established.
One of the most significant changes in process since the establishment of the NT EPA was the commencement of the Environment Protection Act 2019 (NT) in June 2020, repealing the Environmental Assessment Act 1982. This achievement gave the NT EPA an improved framework to deliver its core regulatory responsibility of environmental impact assessment of development proposals. Several years on and the NT EPA has broken records, completing the environmental assessment of 11 proposals in 2023, surpassing the average of 3 per year and seeing the NT EPA meet up to 12 times annually both face-to-face and via teleconference.
The Environment Division of the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security provides highly professional and technical support each year to enable the NT EPA to undertake its regulatory responsibilities.
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