Your voice matters. Have your say on how we administer Australia’s national environmental protection laws as we strive for continuous improvement. Complete this survey to help shape our priorities and inform how we provide our services and conduct our activities.
The survey will be open until 11:59pm AEST Wednesday, 30 September 2026. If you have any questions, please contact: surveyhelp@nationalepa.gov.au
The Australian Government supports the shift to renewable energy while protecting the environment.
In the 2024–25 Budget, the Australian Government allocated $19.9 million over 4 years to:
The Priority List uses a ‘faster to yes, faster to no’ approach. This means projects can be approved or declined faster.
Identified projects receive more support and facilitation through regulatory processes. However, they still have the same scrutiny applied as any other project and must meet all statutory requirements.
The Priority List also supports recommendations from the Community Engagement Review. These focus on improving planning, approvals and decision-making.
Find current priority projects and details on the National Renewable Energy Priority List.
We help priority projects move through the assessment process under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
Our support includes:
This will reduce risk of delays to timeframes.
Support is tailored to each project. Approvals from the Australian Government are only one part of the regulatory process. State and territory governments and local councils apply their own regulations. They may also provide more support for projects on the Priority List.
We understand that timely approvals are important for all projects. Extra funding means we can support priority projects without slowing down other applications. All assessments and decision processes are subject to statutory timeframes.
If your project is eligible for support, we will:
There is no cost to participate.
Priority projects are not guaranteed approval. Every project is fully assessed under the EPBC Act to check its impact on the environment.
Projects may stay on the list after they have received approval from the Commonwealth Environment Regulator. This is to help manage approval conditions.
Projects are more likely to be approved faster if they are designed to avoid protected matters under the EPBC Act. This is whether they are on the priority list or not.
Projects are chosen using agreed criteria developed with state and territory governments. You cannot apply to be placed on the Priority List.