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Department of Climate Change, Energy, Enviroment and Water

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  1. Home
  2. About us
  3. What we do
  4. Our responsibilities and legislation

Sidebar first - About

  • What we do
    • Public consultations
    • Our responsibilities and legislation

Our responsibilities and legislation

We support our ministers to exercise powers under Australian law.

Our secretary and employees exercise any delegated legal powers. The secretary and some employees also have their own, non-delegated powers.

Find all laws we administer and matters relating to us in the Administrative Arrangements Order.

Our responsibilities

We are responsible for matters relating to:

  • environment protection and conservation of biodiversity
  • air quality
  • land contamination
  • waste programs
  • management of industrial chemicals
  • meteorology
  • administration of the Australian Antarctic Territory, and the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands
  • natural, built and cultural heritage
  • environmental information and research
  • ionospheric prediction
  • co-ordination of sustainable communities policy
  • urban environment
  • water policy and resources
  • environmental water use and resources relating to the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder
  • national water infrastructure investment
  • development and co-ordination of domestic, community and household climate action
  • climate change adaptation strategy and co-ordination
  • co-ordination of climate change science activities
  • development and co-ordination of international climate change policy
  • international climate change negotiations
  • greenhouse emissions and energy consumption reporting
  • greenhouse gas abatement programmes
  • energy policy
  • national energy market, including electricity, gas and liquid fuels
  • national fuel quality standards
  • renewable energy
  • renewable energy target policy, regulation and co-ordination
  • renewable energy technology development
  • industrial energy efficiency
  • energy efficiency
  • energy-specific international obligations and activities

Laws and powers

We administer these laws on behalf of our ministers:

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984, except to the extent administered by the Attorney-General
  • Antarctic Marine Living Resources Conservation Act 1981
  • Antarctic Treaty Act 1960
  • Antarctic Treaty (Environment Protection) Act 1980
  • Australian Antarctic Territory Acceptance Act 1933
  • Australian Antarctic Territory Act 1954
  • Australian Energy Market Act 2004
  • Australian Heritage Council Act 2003
  • Australian Institute of Marine Science Act 1972
  • Australian National Registry of Emissions Units Act 2011
  • Australian Renewable Energy Agency Act 2011
  • Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Act 2011
  • Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Act 2010
  • Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011
  • Clean Energy (Consequential Amendments) Act 2011
  • Clean Energy Finance Corporation Act 2012
  • Clean Energy Regulator Act 2011
  • Climate Change Authority Act 2011
  • Competition and Consumer Act 2010, Part IIIAA
  • Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000
  • Fuel Security Act 2021
  • Fuel Security (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Act 2021
  • Environment Protection (Alligator Rivers Region) Act 1978
  • Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
  • Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Act 1981
  • Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975
  • Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (Environmental Management Charge-Excise) Act 1993
  • Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (Environmental Management Charge-General) Act 1993
  • Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Act 2012
  • Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (Registration Fees) Act 2012
  • Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1989
  • Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Levy Act 2017
  • Heard Island and McDonald Islands Act 1953
  • Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Act 2021
  • Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Charge (Customs) Act 2021
  • Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Charge (Excise) Act 2021
  • Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Charge (General) Act 2021
  • Lake Eyre Basin Intergovernmental Agreement Act 2001
  • Liquid Fuel Emergency Act 1984
  • Meteorology Act 1955
  • Moomba-Sydney Pipeline System Sale Act 1994, except to the extent administered by the Minister responsible for Finance
  • National Environment Protection Council Act 1994
  • National Environment Protection Measures (Implementation) Act 1998
  • Natural Heritage Trust of Australia Act 1997
  • Natural Resources Management (Financial Assistance) Act 1992, section 25(1)
  • National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007
  • Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act 2021
  • Offshore Electricity Infrastructure (Regulatory Levies) Act 2021
  • Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) Act 1995
  • Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) (Transitional Provisions) Act 2014
  • Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989
  • Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Manufacture Levy) Act 1995
  • Petroleum and Other Fuels Reporting Act 2017
  • Product Emissions Standards Act 2017
  • Product Emissions Standards (Customs) Charges Act 2017
  • Product Emissions Standards (Excise) Charges Act 2017
  • Product Stewardship (Oil) Act 2000
  • Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020
  • Recycling and Waste Reduction (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Act 2020
  • Recycling and Waste Reduction Charges (Customs) Act 2020
  • Recycling and Waste Reduction Charges (Excise) Act 2020
  • Recycling and Waste Reduction Charges (General) Act 2020
  • Removal of Prisoners (Territories) Act 1923, insofar as it relates to the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands and the Australian Antarctic Territory
  • Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000
  • Renewable Energy (Electricity) (Large-scale Generation Shortfall Charge) Act 2000
  • Renewable Energy (Electricity) (Small-scale Technology Shortfall Charge) Act 2010
  • Sea Installations Act 1987
  • Sewerage Agreements Acts
  • Snowy Hydro Corporatisation Act 1997
  • Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (Conversion into Public Company) Act 1989
  • Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation Limited Sale Act 199 3
  • Sydney Harbour Federation Trust Act 2001
  • Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018
  • Underwater Cultural Heritage (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Act 2018
  • Water Act 2007
  • Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards Act 2005
  • Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (Registration Fees) Act 2013
  • Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area Conservation Act 1994
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Last updated: 29 June 2022

© Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.