---
title: "Prepare a referral of a proposed action under national environment law"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/planning-and-environment/prepare-a-referral-of-a-proposed-action-under-national-environment-law"
type: "task"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A12-U20261018-2"
practice_area: "Planning & Environment"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Prepare a referral of a proposed action under national environment law

> From the project description, ecological and heritage reports and site maps, draft answers to each question in the referral form following the department's preparation guide, and build a table of each protected matter…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/planning-and-environment/prepare-a-referral-of-a-proposed-action-under-national-environment-law  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Planning & Environment](https://ailawframework.com/practice/planning-and-environment.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | From the project description, ecological and heritage reports and site maps, draft answers to each question in the referral form following the department's preparation guide, and build a table of each protected matter the reports identify with the likely impact, the avoidance and mitigation measures, and the report page relied on. |
| What the lawyer must review | Decide whether to refer, how the action is described and bounded, whether any proposed measures are offered to support a not-controlled-action or particular-manner decision, check every statement of impact against the expert reports, and approve the referral before it is submitted. |
| Written for / versions | 1 jurisdiction versions below |

## Checking plan

**Source-by-source verification**

Trace relied-on content to independent sources and check for relevant material the output has missed.

- What the AI does: From the project description, ecological and heritage reports and site maps, draft answers to each question in the referral form following the department's preparation guide, and build a table of each protected matter the reports identify with the likely impact, the avoidance and mitigation measures, and the report page relied on.
- What the lawyer does: Decide whether to refer, how the action is described and bounded, whether any proposed measures are offered to support a not-controlled-action or particular-manner decision, check every statement of impact against the expert reports, and approve the referral before it is submitted.
- Who reviews: Responsible lawyer with competence in the matter
- Basis: Practical workflow informed by the linked primary sources; the traffic light and working checks are editorial guidance, not a court classification.
- Why: The level reflects what the work is, the consequence of an error, and how much of the output the lawyer must independently re-derive.

## Checks the lawyer makes

1. Confirm the instructions, the jurisdiction and the complete relevant material before starting.
2. Check each impact statement against the page of the expert report cited in the table.
3. Confirm the description of the action covers all components, so the project is not split.
4. Confirm any commitments in the referral are ones the client has approved.
5. Check the output against the source documents named in it before it is relied on.

## Notes

- These are suggested working checks. Confirm the required checking with the responsible lawyer before work starts; the checking approach does not establish permission to use AI.

## Sources

- [DCCEEW: Referrals and environmental assessments under the EPBC Act](https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/epbc/approvals) (checked 2026-10-18)

## Jurisdiction versions

| Jurisdiction | Level |
| --- | --- |
| [United States](https://ailawframework.com/practice/planning-and-environment/prepare-a-referral-of-a-proposed-action-under-national-environment-law/united-states.md) | Yellow |

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*