Six years after committing to a global treaty to phase-out mercury, the federal government is yet to launch a parliamentary inquiry to enable ratification.
The Coalition will have an unprecedented opportunity to put its stamp on national environmental laws and schemes, due to a host of reviews that are either imminent or already under way.
Environmental regulators have provided detailed advice for water utilities on accepting trade waste and using biosolids, in a proposed update of the national PFAS management plan.
Australia's NICNAS industrial chemical assessment scheme will be replaced in mid-2020, after the House of Representatives yesterday endorsed Senate-amended bills establishing a new regime.
Procedures for assessing new industrial chemicals are poised to change significantly next year, after the Senate yesterday passed bills that replace the NICNAS scheme with a new regime.
Australia should mandate more stringent carbon controls on companies and vehicles, and strengthen policies on biodiversity, waste and chemicals, according to the OECD.