Part 6: Environmental outcomes reports Setting environmental outcomes Section 152: Power to specify environmental outcomes Effect
Subsection (1) allows the appropriate authority to make regulations specifying outcomes relating to environmental protection. It will be against these specified environmental outcomes that relevant plans and relevant projects will be assessed through an Environmental Outcomes Report.
	Subsections (2), (3) and (4) provide a range of definitions to support the interpretation of this Part, including; ‘environmental protection’, ‘natural environment’ and ‘cultural heritage’.
	Subsection (5) ensures that in developing outcomes, the appropriate authority must have regard to the appropriate current environmental improvement plan, policy strategy or national natural resources policy. Environment improvement plans are the Government’s plans for significantly improving the natural environment and inform legally binding long-term targets for areas such as water quality, air and biodiversity, as well as additional short-term interim targets. While the appropriate authority must have regard to the appropriate environmental improvement plan or policy strategy, they can, of course, draw on other relevant material when developing outcomes.