First Environment Protection Order targets Wombinoo Station

Key points

• The National Environmental Protection Agency has issued its first Environment Protection Order to Wombinoo Station in North Queensland. The order stops further land clearing on 1,600 hectares within the Great Barrier Reef catchment, south of Cairns.
• Hydrological evidence suggests further clearing could send more than 1,000 tonnes of fine sediment into the Reef each year. Agency compliance head Dani Yannopoulos said the order addresses the risk of further harm.
• The agency's investigation into the original 2025 clearing remains active.