13 An accredited assessment process may be chosen only if the Minister is satisfied under s 87(4) that:
(a) the process is to be carried out under a law of the Commonwealth, a State or a self‑governing Territory; and
(b) the process and the law meet the standards (if any) prescribed by the regulations; and
(c) the process will ensure that the relevant impacts of the action are adequately assessed; and
(d) he or she will receive a report of the outcome of the process that will provide enough information on the relevant impacts of the action to let him or her make an informed decision whether or not to approve under Part 9 (for the purposes of each controlling provision) the taking of the action.
14 Section 87(5) is headed "Assessment on preliminary documentation". It provides:
The Minister may decide on an assessment on preliminary documentation under Division 4 only if the Minister is satisfied (after considering the matters in subsection (3)) that that approach will allow the Minister to make an informed decision whether or not to approve under Part 9 (for the purposes of each controlling provision) the taking of the action.
15 Section 87(6) provides:
The Minister may publish in the Gazetteguidelines setting out criteria for deciding which approach must be used for assessing the relevant impacts of an action.
16 Division 4 of Pt 8 of the EPBC Act is headed "Assessment on preliminary documentation". Section 94 provides that Div 4 applies in relation to an action if the Minister has decided under s 87 that the impacts of the action must be assessed on preliminary documentation. Section 95(1) provides:
This section applies if the Minister was satisfied, at the time of making the decision (the assessment approach decision) under section 87, that the Minister had enough information in relation to the action to allow the Minister to assess the relevant impacts of the action.
17 Under s 95(2), as well as giving notice of the assessment approach decision, the Minister must give the designated proponent a written direction to publish within not less than 10 business days the following matters:
(a) specified information included in the referral to the Minister of the proposal to take the action; and
(b) specified information relating to the action that was given to the Minister after the referral but before the Minister made the assessment approach decision; and
(c) an invitation for anyone to give the designated proponent, within the period specified in the direction, comments in writing relating to the information or the action.
18 Under s 95A, if the Minister is not satisfied at the time of making a decision about assessment approach that he or she had enough information in relation to the action to assess its relevant impacts, the Minister must, within 10 day business days of giving the proponent notice of the assessment approach decision, request specified information from the proponent.
19 Under s 95A(3), within 10 business days after receiving the information from the proponent, the Minister must give the proponent a written direction to publish, in not less than 10 business days:
(a) specified information included in the referral to the Minister of the proposal to take the action; and
(b) specified information relating to the action that was given to the Minister after the referral but before the Minister made the assessment approach decision; and
(c) specified information relating to the action that was received in response to the Minister's request under subsection (2); and
(d) an invitation for anyone to give the designated proponent, within the period specified in the direction, comments in writing relating to the information or the action.
20 Section 95B(1) requires the proponent, if it receives comments within the period for comment, to then prepare for the Minister a document which:
(i) sets out the information given to the Minister previously in relation to the action, with any changes or additions needed to take account of the comments; and
(ii) contains a summary of the comments received and how those comments have been addressed.
The proponent must give the Minister a copy of that document and a copy of the comments received.
21 In accordance with s 95C, the Secretary of the Minister's department must prepare and give to the Minister a recommendation report relating to the action. The report must include recommendations on whether the taking of the action should be approved and, if so, any conditions that should be attached to the approval.
22 Under s 95C(2), the recommendation report must be given to the Minister after the Minister receives the documents under s 95B(1) and before the expiry of 40 business days from the date of receipt of those documents.
23 Section 130(1), when read with s 133, obliges the Minister to decide whether or not to approve "for the purposes of each controlling provision for a controlled action", the taking of the action. The Minister must make the decision on approval within 40 business days beginning on the first business day after the Minister receives the documents under s 95B(1). The Minister may specify, in writing, a longer period in which to make the decision. Under s 134, conditions may be attached to an approval.
24 Under s 131AA, before deciding whether or not to approve, for the purposes of a controlling provision, the taking of an action, the Minister must inform the proponent of the decision the Minister proposes to make, including any conditions attached to approval. The proponent is to be invited to give the Minister, within 10 business days, comments in writing on the proposed decision and any conditions. If the Minister proposes to approve, for the purposes of a controlling provision, the taking of an action, a range of documents referred to in s 131AA(2) must be provided to the proponent. Importantly, s 131AA(7) provides:
This section is taken to be an exhaustive statement of the requirements of the natural justice hearing rule in relation to:
(a) the Minister's decision under section 133 whether or not to approve, for the purposes of a controlling provision, the taking of the action; and
(b) if the decision is to approve, for the purposes of a controlling provision, the taking of the action, and the Minister decides, under section 134, to attach conditions to the approval - the Minister's decision under section 134 to attach those conditions to the approval.
25 In deciding whether or not to approve the taking of an action and what conditions to attach to an approval, the Minister is, under s 136(1), required to consider matters relevant to any matter protected by a controlling provision for the action and, under s 136(1)(b), "economic and social matters".