EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

Instrument under section 184(1)

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

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act) places certain obligations on the Commonwealth to protect and conserve threatened species and ecological communities, and recognise, and where possible, abate key threatening processes listed on the list of threatened species, ecological communities and key threatening processes under the EPBC Act.

The purpose of this instrument is to amend the list of threatened species under the EPBC Act in accordance with s184 by:

deleting from the list in the endangered category

• Neophema chrysogaster (Orange-bellied Parrot)

including in the list in the critically endangered category

• Neophema chrysogaster (Orange-bellied Parrot)

as recommended by the Threatened Species Scientific Committee (the Committee), having regard to the definition of critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable species in s179 of the EPBC Act.

Consultation on the nomination to amend the list of threatened species under the Act to include this species 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 after registration on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments and Gazettal.