Document
Index
1999-2000 Ministerial Statements
Investing in our Natural and
Cultural Heritage
Chapter 3
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Document
Index |
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The Commonwealth actively supports community involvement in its environmental programmes through a range of provisions.
The Commonwealth allocates recurrent funding of around $600,000 each year for the purchase of community-based environmental legal services. This enables the provision of legal advice, community legal education, law reform, administration management, and networking on environmental issues.
Contact: Attorney-General's Department -- 02 6250 5575
The Commonwealth supports a number of eligible, non-profit environmental organisations through:
A number of other Commonwealth tax concessions are available to encourage best-practice management of Australia's natural and cultural heritage (see Chapter 5), including built heritage tax concessions (see Chapter 10).
Contact: Environment Australia, Portfolio Strategies Group -- 02 6274 1465
Environment Australia undertakes a range of environmental education activities. These
activities are designed to raise awareness and understanding of environmental issues and
influence community attitudes and behaviour towards achieving ecologically sustainable
development.
The environment portfolio also provides resource materials to the formal education sector
and funds national best practice environmental education and information initiatives
relevant to Commonwealth environmental interests. The portfolio is developing a
Ministerial Statement on environmental education, in recognition of the importance of
environmental education in the national endeavour towards sustainability.
Communications initiatives play an important role in promoting and delivering the Natural
Heritage Trust and its programmes including Bushcare, Coasts and Clean Seas and Endangered
Species. Other communications activities include the Biodiversity Awareness Campaign,
Oceans Policy, World Environment Day, National Pollutant Inventory and Cleaner Production.
Contact: Environment Australia, Corporate Management Division -- 02 6274 1019
The highest priority for the Natural Heritage Trust is to provide resources to
community groups undertaking worthwhile projects that will achieve results on the ground.
There is an increase in the community participation in the Trust, demonstrated by a
greater number and proportion of successful community based projects funded through the
Trust last year.
The Natural Heritage Trust facilitates community participation through a `one-stop-shop'
application process. Regional and State assessment panels chaired by a community
representative with a majority of community membership examine most project applications.
The panels facilitate involvement of individual landholders, community groups, and State
and local governments to undertake integrated action to achieve sustainable land, water
and vegetation management.
Contact: Environment Australia, Biodiversity Group -- 02 6274 2260
The Commonwealth operates a range of programmes that can involve and assist Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander traditional owners in environmental management. The Native
Title Act 1993 as amended contains substantial new provisions in relation to land
management and native title, namely Indigenous Land Use Agreements. These agreements are
voluntary and can relate to proposed grants of land (especially mining and exploration
tenements) where native title might be affected, and/or other regional or local land
management issues.
Matters relating to environmental management and the integration of Indigenous issues can
be captured in terms of any agreement reached. These include access rights for traditional
purposes, taking and consumption of plants and animals, environmental protection and
rehabilitation, participation in land management advisory boards, and participation in the
management of conservation reserves, including the potential for joint management regimes
over national parks. Indigenous Land Use Agreements must be registered with the National
Native Title Tribunal (or responsible State or Territory body) and thus have statutory
protection under the Native Title Act 1993.
Agreements reached in this way can be expected to provide more efficient ways of dealing
with the management of land and waters where native title exists, and lead to increased
certainty in relation to land management while protecting native title rights and
interests.
Contact: National Native Title Tribunal -- 08 9268 7272
Funds are available to the Aboriginal community for the protection, preservation, acquisition and management of cultural property under the Heritage, Environment and Culture Sub-Programme of the Social and Cultural Programme (see Chapter 10). The Community Housing and Infrastructure Programme (CHIP) has broad relevance to the environment. The projects funded through this Programme contribute to environmental health outcomes for indigenous people with assistance to address landcare, dust control, sewerage and other community infrastructure needs.
Contact: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission -- 02 6289 3149
The Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) scheme aims to provide employment and training opportunities in remote regions whilst contributing to the economic and social development needs of indigenous communities. A number of projects in the scheme involve activities that are directly environmentally related.
Contact: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission -- 02 6289 3102
Green Corps (Young Australians for the Environment) is a training programme with an
environmental focus. Participation is voluntary and subject to a competitive selection
process. Participants come from a variety of backgrounds including secondary and tertiary
education and the unemployed. Twenty-six-week placements are available to young
Australians aged 17 to 20 years who demonstrate a commitment to preserving and restoring
Australia's natural environment. Participants receive a Training Allowance (based on Level
C of the National Training Wage) during the period of their participation and may be
eligible for an additional $500 allowance if they enrol in further accredited education or
training after their placement.
Green Corps projects typically involve 14 weeks of a major project and at least 134 hours
of accredited training. There are also typically one or more minor projects (up to four
weeks) and community projects (up to two weeks). Major projects have a strong
environmental focus while minor projects are related to environmental issues. Community
projects are designed in consultation with the local community and typically benefit that
community; they may touch on environmental issues.
Participants are typically engaged in a range of activities including land care, surveys
and data collection, cultural heritage and conservation work, establishment and protection
of native vegetation, and building and repairing walking tracks and footbridges in
environmentally sensitive areas.
Examples of innovative activities are:
Contact: Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs -- 02 6240 9495
