Endangered Species Protection Act 1992.

The main objects of the Act are to promote the recovery of species and ecological communities that are endangered or vulnerable and to prevent other species and ecological communities from becoming endangered.
The 176 sections of this Act are divided into 9 Parts: Preliminary (1); Listing (2); Recovery plans and threat abatement plans (3); Conservation Agreements (4); Conservation Orders (5); Obligations to protect species etc. (6); Administration (7); The Endangered Species Advisory Committee and the Endangered Species Scientific Subcommittee (8); Miscellaneous (9).
Section 7 gives a meaning to "vulnerable species" and section 8 to "species presumed to be extinct" for purposes of this Act. Part 2 provides for listing of the native species, ecological communities and threatening processes with which this Act is concerned. Sections 18 to 28 prescribe the process of listing. The Commonwealth must prepare and implement: (a) A recovery plan for each listed native species other than a species that is presumed extinct or for each listed ecological community that occurs in Commonwealth areas, and; (b) threat abatement plans for each key threatening process in Commonwealth areas (sects. 31 to 34). Commonwealth areas (defined in sect. 5) include the coastal sea and fishing zone of Australia. The Director of National Parks and Wildlife may, on behalf of the Commonwealth, enter into Conservation Agreements with persons who have an interest in a Commonwealth area (sect. 51). Part 5 enables the responsible Minister to make interim or permanent Conservation Orders for all or specified Commonwealth areas. Section 79 empowers the Minister to make Impact Assessment Conservation Orders. Provisions of Division 1 of Part 7 outline administrative responsibilities of the Director of ANWPS. Provisions of Division 2 deal with powers of enforcement of officers as defined in section 118. Sections 137 and 158 provide for the establishment of an Endangered Species Advisory Committee respectively the establishment of an Endangered Species Scientific Subcommittee. The last Part of the Act requires the Director of ANWPS to prepare inventories of listed native species and marine species. The Act is completed by 4 Schedules: Listed Species (1); Listed ecological communities (2); Key Threatening processes (3); Agreements between Australia and other countries (4).