In Australia, environmental policies are setup at federal, state and local government levels.

The main purpose of environment protection policies is to ensure the natural environment is not mistreated by humans (and sometimes animals), so that future generations can enjoy our planet in the same ways we do.

Although successive governments normally have very similar general environmental goals, a change in emphasis is often when new governments come into power.

In order for a successful transition between the old and new environmental policy, it is usually important for stakeholders – government departments, NGOs, and other environmental agencies – to have a say.

In Victoria, for example, the Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for ensuring the demands of the current state government environmental policy are being met. This means the agency has to monitor the environmental performance of businesses and households, and often compiles publicly accessible reports on specific environmental issues.

Western Australia and Queensland also have EPAs, and other states and territories have agencies with different names that perform similar functions.

Stakeholders like the EPA are very important when new policymakers come into government, because they are able to lend expertise and knowledge to ministers who may be ‘green’ to their new job.