The Environment Information Australia Bill 2025 (EIA Bill) creates a new standalone Act to establish the statutory position of the Head of Environment Information Australia (HEIA) within the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Under Part 1, the Bill sets out its objects: to improve availability and accessibility of high quality national environmental information and data, and to enhance accountability through regular, transparent reporting.

Part 2 confers on the HEIA functions to:

provide the Minister, the National Environmental Protection Agency CEO and the public with access to high-quality environmental data;
prepare and publish a biennial State of the Environment report (due by 15 December every second year);
establish and maintain environmental economic accounts in accordance with international statistical principles;
declare and publicly register national environmental information assets critical to regulatory decision-making; and
perform any additional functions prescribed by the rules or other Commonwealth laws.

Clauses 10–11 guarantee the HEIA’s independence from ministerial or departmental direction when preparing the State of the Environment reports and economic accounts. Part 3 requires the Minister to table a formal response to each State of the Environment report (including environmental targets and timeframes) within six months and to table statements of updated environmental economic accounts within 15 sitting days.

Part 4 establishes a comprehensive, non-coercive data-sharing regime. The HEIA may request information from custodians, assemble a public environment data portal, and disclose or share information in prescribed circumstances (e.g. to other regulators, to avert serious risk to human health or the environment), while civil penalties apply for unauthorized disclosure of protected information. Part 5 addresses the HEIA’s appointment (as a SES-level APS employee), staff support and contracting. Part 6 allows delegation, annual and independent five-year reviews, rule-making by the Minister, and limits liability for good-faith acts under the Act.

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