Environment Protection Act 2017

The Governor in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister, may by Order published in the Government Gazette make an environment reference standard to be used to assess and report on environmental conditions in the whole or any part of Victoria.

Without limiting subsection (1), an environment reference standard must identify environmental values to be achieved or maintained in the whole or any part of Victoria.

An environment reference standard must specify—

whether the area to which the standard applies is the whole or a part of Victoria; and

if the standard does not apply to the whole of Victoria, the boundaries of the area to which the standard applies; and

the elements of the environment to which the standard relates; and

the environmental values identified for the area, or any part of the area, to which the standard applies.

An environment reference standard may specify indicators and objectives to be used to measure whether an environmental value specified in the environment reference standard is being achieved or maintained.

For the purposes of subsection (4), an environment reference standard may specify one or more of the following indicators or objectives—

ambient environmental quality pollutant measures;

ambient environmental quality ecological measures;

measures of human health or the health of other species;

targets for emissions of pollutants.