Nationally threatened species and ecological communities, EPBC Act Policy Statement
This consultation is now closed.
Documents remain available for reference only.
Download
Revised draft referral guideline for three threatened black cockatoo species (PDF - 2.18 MB)
Revised draft referral guideline for three threatened black cockatoo species (DOCX - 4.85 MB)
Map 1: Black cockatoos of southwest WA referral guideline regions (PDF - 1.77 MB)
Map 2: Modelled distribution for Baudin's Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus baudinii) (PDF - 3.14 MB)
Map 3: Modelled distribution for Carnaby's Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris) (PDF - 2.73 MB)
Map 4: Modelled distribution for Forest Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii naso) (PDF - 3.18 MB)
Map 5: Individual regions for black cockatoo referral guideline (PDF - 3.17 MB)
About this draft revised referral guideline
The draft revised referral guideline applies to three species of Western Australian black cockatoos listed as threatened under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
Referral guidelines aim to promote consistent and best practice decision making relating to particular species and support regulatory streamlining. They do not impose new obligations on proponents.
The draft revised guideline updates the existing EPBC Act guideline which was published in 2012. The revised guideline aims to improve guidance for decision-makers, proponents and consultants regarding habitat quality, surveys, significant impact thresholds, and mitigation measures. The draft revised guideline also divides the range of each cockatoo species into regions to assist with decision making in the local context, considering differences in threats and habitat across the regions.
The cockatoos are found across a wide area of south-west WA, including areas outside the Perth and Peel regions. They are subject to a range of threats across these areas including, but not limited to, bird mortality by vehicle strike and shooting; loss of Carnaby’s breeding habitat in the Wheatbelt; and, loss of Baudin’s and the Forest Red-tailed Cockatoo breeding and foraging habitat in the south west and south coast forests. The revised guideline considers this broader set of issues and provides a tool to score and identify high and low quality foraging habitat. This tool complements the Department’s offsets policy and the accompanying offsets assessment guide.
Why is the existing guideline published in 2012 being revised?
The decision to revise the original guideline arose from publication of new scientific information and subsequent concern about ongoing loss of important foraging habitat driving the species towards extinction. There were also concerns raised by the public around consistent decision-making and adequacy of surveys being conducted.
The Department facilitated two workshops to revise the existing EPBC Act guideline. The workshops were held in Perth in April and May 2016 and attended by members of the species recovery teams, including State government officials and Western Australian environmental consultants.
Which guideline should I use?
The draft revised referral guideline currently out for public comment is a draft document and has the potential to change after consideration of public comments. It is recommended that proponents and other decision makers apply the existing referral guideline for the cockatoos until a finalised version of the revised guideline is published.
How does the guideline apply to the Strategic assessment of Western Australia's Perth and Peel Regions?
Black cockatoos and their habitat, in particular Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo, have a high profile in the Perth and Peel regions, and are being considered in the strategic assessment of Western Australia's Perth and Peel Regions.
The revised guideline sets out an approach to identifying areas of high quality habitat and outlines priorities for mitigation and offset considerations which may assist in the strategic assessment.
Following endorsement of a strategic assessment, the minister may approve the taking of an ‘action’ or ‘class of actions’ in accordance with the endorsed assessment. The approval of the strategic assessment would allow activities covered by the assessment to proceed without the need for further Commonwealth approval of individual proposals or developments. Once the Perth and Peel strategic assessment is approved the guideline would not apply to the area and class of actions covered by the assessment, though it may provide guidance for individuals and organisations in the regions undertaking recovery actions for these species. The guideline would continue to apply in the remaining areas of the species distributions.
Further information on WA black cockatoos
Further information on the three threatened black cockatoos, including their recovery plans and conservation advices is available from: