National Environment Protection Council Act 1994

The Council may, by instrument in writing, make a measure, to be known as a national environment protection measure, that relates to any one or more of the following:

ambient air quality;

ambient marine, estuarine and fresh water quality;

the protection of amenity in relation to noise (but only if differences in environmental requirements relating to noise would have an adverse effect on national markets for goods and services);

general guidelines for the assessment of site contamination;

environmental impacts associated with hazardous wastes;

the re‑use and recycling of used materials;

except as provided in subsection (2), motor vehicle noise and emissions.

Noise and emission standards relating to the design, construction and technical characteristics of new and in‑service motor vehicles may only:

be developed and agreed in conjunction with the National Transport Commission; and

be determined in accordance with the National Transport Commission Act 2003 and, where appropriate, the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018.

National environment protection measures must each comprise one or more of the following:

a national environment protection standard;

a national environment protection goal;

a national environment protection guideline;

a national environment protection protocol.