EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

Instrument under section 184(1)(a)

(Issued under the Authority of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts)

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the Act) places certain obligations on the Commonwealth to protect and conserve threatened species.

The purpose of this instrument is to amend the list of key threatening processes under the Act in accordance with s184(1)(a) of the Act by:

Including in the list of key threatening processes:

• Ecosystem degradation, habitat loss and species decline due to invasion of northern Australia by introduced Gamba Grass (Andropogon gayanus), Para Grass (Urochloa mutica), Olive Hymenachne (Hymenachne amplexicaulis), Mission Grass (Pennisetum polystachion) and Annual Mission Grass (Pennisetum pedicellatum).

Consultation on the nomination to amend the list of key threatening processes under the Act to include this key threatening process was undertaken before the legislative instrument was made. The nomination was placed on public exhibition, and public comments were sought. Parties with relevant expertise were directly consulted regarding their views.

This instrument is a legislative instrument for the purposes of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003.

The instrument commenced on the day after it was registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments.