Notice Inviting Comments on New Draft Management Plans for Christmas Island National Park and Pulu Keeling National Park

Administered by Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Legislation au C2026G00340 In force Gazette

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Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 

Notice under subsection 368(5) 

NOTICE INVITING COMMENTS ON NEW DRAFT MANAGEMENT PLANS FOR CHRISTMAS ISLAND NATIONAL PARK AND PULU KEELING NATIONAL PARK 

 

The Director of National Parks (the Director) has prepared a draft management plans for both Christmas Island National Park and Pulu Keeling National Park. Once finalised, these new management plans will guide the management of each national park for 10 years. 

 

These will replace the current Christmas Island National Park management plan, which expired on 31 March 2024 and the current Pulu Keeling National Park management plan, which expired on 1 September 2025. 

 

Members of the public are invited to comment on these draft management plans between 16 June 2026 and 17 July 2026. 

 

Comments received in response to this notice will be considered by the Director in accordance with section 368(1)(e) of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and will be provided to the Minister for the Environment, in accordance with section 370 of the EPBC Act, together with: 

  • The Director’s views on the comments, and 
  • The proposed final management plans for the Minister’s approval, including any revisions in response to comments received.  

 

Any comments received in response to this notice provided to the Minister and have not been given effect to in the management plans will be laid before the House of each Parliament under section 371(3) of the EPBC Act.  

 

Where to find the plans 

The new draft management plan for Christmas Island National Park, along with more information is available from https://consult.dcceew.gov.au/ 

 

The new draft management plan for Pulu Keeling National Park, along with more information is available from https://consult.dcceew.gov.au/ ) 

 

How to comment 

Comments must be received no later than 11:59pm 17 July, 2026, and should be either: 

         submitted through the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s Have Your Say Portal at: https://consult.dcceew.gov.au/ or 

         Hand delivery to Christmas Island National Park Headquarters, Nursery Court, Drumsite, Christmas Island, WA, 6798. 

         Hand delivery to Pulu (Keeling) National Park Headquarters, Jalan Bunga Mawar, Home Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands. 

 

Comments sent after 17 July, 2026 will not be considered in preparing these management plans.  

 

Privacy Notice 

If you choose to make a submission to this consultation process, we will collect personal information about you. Please review this notice before submitting your response. 

 

The Director of National Parks (the Director) is subject to the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles. In carrying out its responsibility for managing Commonwealth reserves, the Director is assisted by Parks Australia, a division of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (the Department).   

 

The Privacy Act regulates how the Director (“we” or “us”) may collect, use, disclose and store personal information. We also hold personal information in accordance with the Archives Act 1983 (Cth). 

 

We use technology by Converlens Pty Ltd to provide this consultation service and website. Our contractual arrangements require Converlens to comply with the Privacy Act and store data securely in Australia. 

 

What personal information will be collected  

Personal information means information or an opinion about an individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable, whether or not it is true or recorded in material form. 

 

Sensitive information is a subset of personal information and attracts a higher level of privacy protection. Sensitive information includes information or opinions about an individual's racial or ethnic origin (e.g. indigeneity), a political opinion or association, religious beliefs or affiliations, trade or professional associations and memberships, a criminal record and health information. 

 

By submitting a response to the consultation process, you consent to the Director collecting your personal information (which also includes sensitive information) provided in your response to the consultation process. This may include: 

 

  • your name, address, email address and telephone number; 
  • your opinions about the management of the Christmas Island National Park and how the proposed management may impact your business; 
  • trade and/or professional associations and memberships; 
  • any other personal information (including sensitive information) provided by you in response to the consultation process. 

 

How we will use and disclose your personal information  

The Director will use any personal information (including sensitive information) provided in your submission to: 

  • Contact you about your response to the consultation process, including for further information, feedback or to conduct a survey either by us or our representative. 
  • Inform you about the outcomes of the consultation process and/or other matters that we consider may be relevant to you. 
  • The personal information (including sensitive information) provided by you in response to the consultation process will be disclosed to staff in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, the Board of the Reserve (if any), the Minister for the Environment and Water and the Minister’s office for the purpose of: 
    • Informing the development of the draft management plans for both Christmas Island National Park and Pulu Keeling National Park, 
    • reporting on the outcomes of the consultation process, and 
    • for related purposes. 
  • The Director may be required to lay any comments the Director has provided to the Minister under Division 4 of Part 15 of the EPBC Act but have not been given effect to in the management plans, in each House of Parliament under section 371(3) of the EPBC Act.  

We will not use or disclose personal information without your consent, except where authorised or required by law. 

 

Public disclosure 

Your submission, including any personal or sensitive information contained within, may be published or made publicly available in compliance with section 371(3) of the EPBC Act, and where otherwise authorised or required by law. 

 

We reserve the right to edit, and/or not consider or publish submissions that contain potentially offensive, defamatory or irrelevant material. 

 

Submissions marked as confidential may be disclosed on a confidential basis as authorised or required by law. 

 

Anonymous submissions 

You can provide an anonymous submission. However, this means we cannot contact you about your submission, the consultation process, or other matters relevant to you. It may also limit our ability to take your submission into account. 

 

Personal information of other individuals 

If you need to include personal information about another individual in your submission, you will need to inform that individual of the contents of this statement and obtain their consent to us collecting their personal information.  

 

Privacy Policy and Contact Us 

For more information on how we handle personal information, how to access or correct your personal information, and how to make a complaint, see our Privacy Policy at https://www.dcceew.gov.au/parks-heritage/national-parks/parks-australia/privacy-policy.  

 

The Converlens privacy policy is available at https://converlens.com/privacy.html.  

 

If you have a question about this privacy notice, please use the Contact Us link on our website at https://parksaustralia.gov.au/about/contact-us/  

 

Further Information 

More information about Christmas Island National Park and Pulu Keeling National Park is available at https://christmasislandnationalpark.gov.au/ and https://pulukeelingnationalpark.gov.au/  

 

For further information or if you have a question, please email IOTnationalparks@dcceew.gov.au.  

 

Shaun Barclay 

Branch Head, Marine and Island Parks 

On behalf of the Director of National Parks 

16 June, 2026

 

 

Overview

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) was enacted to provide for the protection of the environment, particularly with regard to matters of national environmental significance. The Act was introduced to address the need for a comprehensive framework to protect and manage Australia's environment and biodiversity, ensuring sustainable development and ecological integrity. The Act was enacted by the Parliament of Australia and its policy objective is to safeguard Australia's environment, including its biodiversity, through effective regulation and management of activities that may impact the environment. The Director of National Parks has prepared new draft management plans for Christmas Island National Park and Pulu Keeling National Park to guide their management for the next ten years, replacing the expired plans. Public comments on these draft plans are invited until 17 July 2026, and will be considered by the Director, who will then provide the Minister for the Environment with the Director's views on the comments, and the proposed final management plans, for approval. Comments not given effect in the final plans will be tabled in Parliament. Submissions to the consultation process are subject to the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles, and may be published or disclosed as required by law.

Scope and Application

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) applies to the draft management plans for Christmas Island National Park and Pulu Keeling National Park, guiding their management for the next decade. This Act extends to the whole of Australia, including its territorial waters and the Australian Antarctic Territory, ensuring that the proposed management plans adhere to national environmental standards and objectives. The Act applies to the Director of National Parks, who is responsible for the preparation and finalisation of these plans. Members of the public are invited to provide feedback on the draft plans, which will be considered before the final plans are submitted to the Minister for approval. Comments that are not incorporated into the final plans will be tabled in Parliament, as per the EPBC Act. The Act allows for the use of subordinate instruments to further extend or restrict its application, ensuring comprehensive coverage of environmental management across these national parks.

Key Provisions

The main sections of this notice (subsection 368(5)) invite the public to provide feedback on the draft management plans for Christmas Island National Park and Pulu Keeling National Park. These plans, once finalised, will serve as the blueprint for park management for the next ten years, replacing the expired plans. Members of the public are invited to submit comments on the draft plans between 16 June 2026 and 17 July 2026. Comments will be reviewed by the Director of National Parks, who will consider them alongside their own views and submit the final plans, along with any modifications made in response to public feedback, to the Minister for Environment for approval (section 368(1)(e) and section 370). Any comments that are not incorporated into the final plans will be tabled in Parliament (section 371(3)). The obligations under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) for the Director of National Parks include soliciting public input on draft management plans and ensuring that such input is considered in the final plans. The Director must also prepare detailed final management plans for ministerial approval and lay any unconsidered comments before Parliament. Additionally, the Director must comply with the Privacy Act 1988 when collecting, using, and disclosing personal information provided during the consultation process. This includes notifying individuals whose personal information is included in submissions and ensuring that the data is stored securely and used appropriately. The EPBC Act imposes specific consequences for non-compliance with the consultation and management plan requirements. There are no explicit offences listed in the notice, but failure to follow the consultation process as outlined could lead to civil or administrative penalties. For instance, if the Director fails to consider public comments or does not lay unconsidered comments before Parliament, this could result in legal challenges or public scrutiny. Additionally, any misuse of personal information contrary to the Privacy Act could lead to penalties under that Act. However, the notice does not specify maximum penalties for breaches of the EPBC Act or the Privacy Act in this context.

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.