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This chapter describes environment activities to be undertaken by the Commonwealth over the next few years. Activities are classified by State of the Environment (SoE) reporting themes and by outputs of the Department of the Environment and Heritage. Grouping activities in this way allows for the cross-referencing of this statement with other Budget and non-Budget publications.
Australia's first SoE Report was published in 1996. The second national report will be published later this year. SoE themes addressed in this statement are the Atmosphere; Biodiversity; Coasts and Oceans; Human Settlements; Inland Waters; the Land; and Natural and Cultural Heritage.
The Department's outputs are aligned with SoE themes, but the additional categories of Greenhouse; Meteorology; Parks and Reserves; Environmental Assessment and Approvals; Industry; and Antarctica further differentiate aspects of the environment so that the Government's activities are described in a logical, easy-to-follow manner.
Many of the activities described in this chapter address issues relating to more than one of the environmental themes. Activities that could not be logically attributed to a particular theme have been addressed under Integrated Measures.
The Government has taken decisive measures in recent years to protect the atmosphere, and will continue working to improve the quality of air in urban areas and to ensure the recovery of the ozone layer.
The Government's standards for air quality, whether already established or under development, represent world best practice in dealing with the threat air pollution poses to our health. The focus is now on fuel quality and vehicle emissions, transport options that reduce pollution without impacting on access and mobility, management of wood heater emissions and the monitoring and management of fine particle pollution.
Air quality issues confronting our towns and cities are being addressed through a comprehensive package of programmes underpinned by research and public education. One such initiative is the Air Pollution in Major Cities Programme which is funded under the Natural Heritage Trust. The aim of this programme is to reduce the six major air pollutants (oxides of nitrogen and sulfur, particles, photochemical smog, carbon monoxide and airborne lead) through implementation of the National Environment Protection Measure on ambient air quality, and through the development of national fuel quality standards. With fuel quality standards in place, the Government will develop a compliance and enforcement strategy under the fuel quality standards legislation.
The impact of air toxics is a significant environmental issue. These are gaseous, aerosol or particulate pollutants which are present in the air in low concentrations but which may be a hazard to human, plant or animal life. They are emitted from a wide range of sources, especially combustion processes. Motor vehicles are a dominant source. While all Australians are exposed to some level of air toxics, the highest concentrations are found in urban areas.
National strategies to manage air toxics and indoor air quality are considered in the State of Knowledge Report on Air Toxics and Indoor Air Quality. This report provides a basis for informed community debate on management options for the major air toxics.
Australia continues to lead the world in phasing out and managing ozone depleting substances. The Government supervises the orderly phase-out of these substances in accordance with Australia's commitments under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. For example, the National Halon Bank collects and safely disposes of surplus halon, formerly widely used in fire extinguishers, while maintaining a reserve of halon until the year 2030 for essential uses.
The Government also maintains a solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation monitoring network covering major population centres. The network has been designed to assess the impact of the depletion of the ozone layer on UV radiation levels and the consequences for human health.
Transport activities are the most significant contributor to urban air pollution in Australia, with road vehicles the dominant source of transport pollutants (89 per cent). The Government has taken an integrated approach which involves Environment Australia working with the Department of Transport and Regional Services, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources and the National Road Transport Commission to tackle the emissions problem. Studies demonstrate that the initiatives devised under this approach will have a considerable impact on reducing the levels of the six major air pollutants.
The main focus to date has been on improving the emissions performance of vehicles. New vehicle emission standards are being progressively aligned with the most stringent international standards. Methods are being devised to ensure that the gains obtained from the new standards will be maintained throughout a vehicle's life. The Government is also determined to make vehicle fuels cleaner. The Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000 will regulate the quality of fuel in Australia to enable new vehicle technologies to operate effectively. The first set of standards to be developed, for petrol and diesel, will be followed by standards for liquefied petroleum gas, diesohol and biodiesel.
The Government is also addressing the level of vehicle use and is looking at ways to encourage and develop sustainable transport: alternative transport approaches which reduce car dependency without limiting mobility or access to transport. The outcomes being sought will improve air quality while offering more transport choices and improving the quality of community life. The Government intends to encourage sustainable transport through partnerships with communities, local governments and businesses to implement locally generated solutions.
Contact: Environment Australia - Atmosphere and Sustainable Transport Branch - (02) 6274 1625
The Government has allocated almost $1 billion to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, most of it from the Measures for a Better Environment package established under A New Tax System. Cost-effective greenhouse gas abatement measures are being pursued to ensure that Australian industry remains competitive while still enabling Australia to meet international greenhouse commitments. A national public information campaign has been mounted to encourage all Australians to help reduce emissions.
The Australian Greenhouse Office, the world's first dedicated greenhouse office, is advancing Australia's greenhouse response. The office administers a broad range of programmes, including the promotion of least-cost abatement opportunities in partnership with business and the community, and the development of renewable energy alternatives.
There are significant Government incentives for the establishment of cooperative abatement partnerships involving the public and private sectors. The $400 million Greenhouse Gas Abatement Programme supports projects that deliver cost-effective, large-scale and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The Government also assists participating organisations in quantifying emissions and achieving abatement. Programmes include the Greenhouse Challenge, a joint initiative between the Government and over 500 companies; Cities for Climate Protection, a partnership between the Government and over 100 local councils; and Household Greenhouse Action, which encourages greenhouse initiatives at the household level.
The Government is working closely with industry and the community to achieve efficiencies in the use of non-renewable energy sources and to promote the development and use of renewable alternatives. Up to $17.7 million in venture capital, to be matched by non-government sources on a two-to-one basis, will be provided to assist companies and other incorporated bodies that are commercialising research and development in renewable energy technologies. In addition, $55.6 million has been allocated to promote renewable energy initiatives with strong commercial potential.
Grants of up to $180 million will offset the cost of replacing diesel-powered electricity generators, used by many households in rural Australia, with renewable energy technologies such as solar and wind. A further $31 million will assist householders and community organisations who install photovoltaic systems.
To tackle vehicle emissions, funding of $75 million has been allocated to encourage Australia's heavy commercial vehicle and bus fleets to use compressed natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas. Additionally, a grant scheme for alternative fuels is available for road transport operators and a network of compressed natural gas refuelling stations is being developed. So far 19 public refuelling sites, from Queensland to South Australia, have been established.
To raise consumer awareness about fuel efficiency, and increase demand for fuel-efficient cars, the Government requires that all new cars sold in Australia from 1 January 2001 carry a fuel consumption label. Greenhouse gas emissions from Australia's motor vehicles will be reduced by improved technologies and fuels, and by increased fuel efficiency in the government vehicle fleet.
The expansion of Australia's terrestrial greenhouse sinks - in which carbon dioxide is captured in vegetation - is occurring through a number of programmes. Plantations for Australia: the 2020 Vision aims to treble Australia's plantation estate between 1996 and 2020. Several Natural Heritage Trust programmes, including Farm Forestry, Bushcare and Landcare, encourage sustainable forestry and vegetation management. In addition, Bush for Greenhouse encourages greater private investment in revegetation.
A number of eminent research bodies, including the CSIRO, the Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the National Tidal Facility, are working cooperatively on research related to climate change. The areas of research range from understanding the underlying nature and science of climate change through to options for mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. The development of the National Carbon Accounting System will provide a complete accounting and forecasting capability for human-induced, land-based carbon sources.
The Government is funding aid projects that abate emissions and facilitate adaptation to climate change as part of assisting developing countries to reduce poverty. Under the International Greenhouse Partnerships Programme, 14 greenhouse gas mitigation projects are under way with eight developing countries in Asia, the South Pacific, South America and Africa.
The Mandatory Renewable Energy Target is designed to increase the amount of electricity in Australia being generated from renewable energy sources. The target is to generate 9,500 gigawatt hours a year from renewable sources by 2010. As a guide, that is about the same as Tasmania's entire annual electricity consumption. The Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000, which implements this measure, came into force on 1 April 2001. A Regulator has been appointed to ensure that the requirements of the measure are met, including overseeing the implementation of the legislation, determining penalties for non-compliance and conducting audits.
Under the new system, producers of renewable energy will receive certificates for the energy they generate. These can then be sold to wholesale energy purchasers, who in turn will surrender them to the Renewable Energy Regulator to discharge their liability to increase the amount of renewable energy in the total energy supply. Eligible renewable sources include solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, wind, ocean and river (tide, wave, current) and some forms of geothermal and biomass energy.
The target for this measure is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2010 by up to seven million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent, and raise the contribution of renewable energy sources to around 12 per cent of Australia's electricity supply. Meeting the target is expected to generate $2 billion in investment and assist in further developing the renewable energy industry.
Contact: Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator - (02) 6274 1416
The Commonwealth's meteorological activities directly benefit Australia's communities and industries, particularly agriculture. The aim is to improve forecasts, reduce the social and economic impact of natural disasters and improve our understanding of this part of the world. A range of activities is undertaken by the Bureau of Meteorology to meet this aim: national atmospheric, oceanographic and hydrological monitoring, research and service provision; and international activities.
A comprehensive national climate data archive is continually updated for national and international use in climate research, modelling and prediction. This work contributes significantly to the National Greenhouse Strategy and increases our understanding of the global climate system. It helps Australia to meet its international obligations and provides scientific support for Australia's participation in international climate change negotiations. The research contributes substantially to scientific assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Under the Natural Heritage Trust's Clear the Air initiative, the Bureau of Meteorology, the CSIRO and State environment protection agencies collaborate on research and development efforts to improve atmospheric quality. As a result, residents of major cities now have access to daily advice about current and prospective air pollution and air quality.
Initiatives in the fields of marine meteorology and oceanography are essential to the sound management of Australia's precious marine and coastal environment and natural resources. Key activities include providing forecasting and warning services and responding to marine pollution emergencies. Our understanding of the ocean and its interaction with the global climate is improved by continuing research studies of Southern hemisphere oceans, wave modelling and prediction, and implementation of the Australian aspects of the Global Ocean Observing System and the United Nations Environment Programme's Global Action Plan for the Ocean.
The gathering of extensive hydrometeorological and water resource data represents a vital service to industry and the community. It provides the basis for advice on the planning and management of Australia's water resources, the circulation of water (both in the atmosphere and on land) and the rainfall statistics of storms. Cooperative research activities explore rainfall information, the application of radar rainfall information to water resources management, flood forecasting and the impact of climate change on water resources.
Australia plays a key role in the provision of meteorological and related environmental services in the Asia-Pacific region. The Government contributes to the fulfilment of its regional responsibilities by assisting the National Meteorological Services of several developing countries. The Bureau of Meteorology advises meteorological services in South-East Asia on the potential dispersion of airborne matter following certain events, such as volcanic eruptions, forest fires and the release of radioactive material. The Government works with the international community to raise awareness of climate change and related issues through the Global Observation to Benefit the Environment project. This is an international network of school students who study environmental issues, take environmental observations and share data with the international scientific community.
Australia's aid programme is funding the third phase of a sea level and climate monitoring project which aims to provide an accurate long-term record of sea levels in the South Pacific for partner countries and the international scientific community.
The Australian community justifiably regards air quality as a key environmental issue. As part of its continuing efforts to improve air quality, the Government has implemented a project aimed at providing daily forecasts of air quality in Australia's cities. The project is funded through the Air Pollution in Major Cities Programme under the Natural Heritage Trust.
The project currently provides daily predictions of the distribution of key air pollutants in Melbourne and Sydney, although ultimately it can be extended to other capital cities and include a bigger range of air pollutants. The initial demonstration period, from August to December 2000, showed that the system gave accurate and useful simulations of air flow and pollution distribution on a scale of a few kilometres. In particular, it was shown that detailed information on the hour-by-hour development of pollution build-ups can be displayed graphically on the Internet to augment the air quality forecasting and management services of State environment protection authorities.
Continuing improvements to the system will ensure that it remains a world-class facility providing valuable public information on air quality in local neighbourhoods.
Contact: Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre - (03) 9669 4444
The protection and conservation of Australia's biodiversity is one of the Government's highest environmental priorities. Australia's immense biodiversity is internationally renowned and the country is recognised by scientists as being one of only 17 mega-diverse countries in the world. Protecting and conserving this unique environmental asset requires commitment and a multi-faceted approach. The Government's comprehensive package of biodiversity programmes includes legislative protection, on-ground action and a sustained research effort to build a better understanding of Australia's biological resources. Some of these programmes are outlined below, although initiatives which benefit biodiversity are featured across many of the environment themes in this document. Activities related to marine biodiversity are addressed under the Coasts and Oceans theme.
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) enables the Commonwealth to join with the States and Territories to provide a national scheme of environment protection and biodiversity conservation. It provides for biodiversity conservation by protecting threatened species, threatened ecological communities and migratory species. This year the Government will introduce legislation to incorporate the Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1982 (under which the Government regulates trade in native species) into the EPBC Act. This will provide improved protection to species and continue the process of legislative reform.
The EPBC Act also provides for continuous improvement in biodiversity conservation, establishing expert advisory bodies to advise the Minister for the Environment and Heritage. The Biological Diversity Advisory Committee, for example, provides advice on the performance of the Government's programmes in promoting biodiversity conservation and advises on ways to promote biodiversity conservation through improved business practices. It also advises the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council on priorities for action under the National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia's Biological Diversity.
The Natural Heritage Trust's Bushcare Programme addresses the long-term decline in the extent and quality of Australia's native vegetation. The programme provides financial assistance to the community to undertake native vegetation projects, funds a national network of extension officers and provides for community education and training to support on-ground efforts. In 2000-01, 890 projects were funded under the Bushcare Programme.
One of the highlights of the Bushcare Programme this year will be the Flora for Fauna project, an initiative involving the Nursery Industry Association of Australia. Flora for Fauna will encourage Australians, particularly in urban areas, to develop a deeper interest in protecting and conserving their local environment. Flora for Fauna will show families, schools and other groups in the community how they can change their gardens - and the way they garden - to use Australian plants that support and attract wildlife.
Programmes are in place to reduce the damaging impact of feral animals and weeds on the environment and primary production. The National Weeds Programme aims to reduce the impact of weeds of national significance, prevent the introduction of new pest plants through revised quarantine assessment procedures, and assess the potential for existing pest plants to become weeds of national significance. An alert list of other introduced weeds with the potential to cause significant environmental damage also has been developed. The main focus of the National Feral Animal Control Programme in 2001-02 will be on improved management of feral cats, rabbits and foxes. Approximately $500,000 will be spent on continuing research into a biological control for cane toads to reduce their impact on native wildlife.
The Government is committed to improving knowledge and understanding of biodiversity. Scientists from the CSIRO are working closely with community, industry and government groups to provide large-scale, integrated solutions to biodiversity issues. Current work focuses on identifying and naming new species; managing the threat of pests, weeds and diseases; identifying the functional role biodiversity plays in the ecosystem; and identifying possible uses for Australia's vast biological resources. This might include extracting natural pharmaceuticals from insects, or cultivating native species for sale as bush tucker.
The Australian Biological Resources Study provides taxonomic knowledge necessary for the conservation and sustainable use of Australia's biodiversity. The study assists research on Australia's organisms through grants and training schemes. It also publishes books on Australia's flora and fauna, and supports the Australian Biodiversity Information Facility.
Australia commences its first full year of membership of the Global Biodiversity Initiative in 2001-02. The initiative is a network of biodiversity databases and information technology tools. It enables users to navigate and put to use the world's vast quantities of biodiversity information to produce national economic, environmental and social benefits.
The Government is committed, under the Bush for Wildlife initiative (funded through the Bushcare Programme), to coordinating and supporting revolving funds nationally. The basic concept of the revolving fund initiative is modelled on the Trust for Nature (Victoria) operation. It represents an innovative approach to achieving nature conservation on private land. Revolving funds involves purchasing private land with significant conservation values, placing a unique site agreement (such as a covenant) on the conservation values, and then reselling the land to a buyer committed to managing for conservation. Proceeds from sales are then reinvested (revolved) in the fund.
The Government is providing funds to proponents who can demonstrate that they are capable of managing a revolving fund strategically and in a manner consistent with principles which have been developed to cover property selection and purchase, long-term legal protection of conservation values, sale of properties, enhancement of the capital base, and stewardship support for ongoing management.
Funding of $500,000 was provided to the Trust for Nature in 1999-2000 to expand its existing revolving fund operation. Around $2 million should be provided in 2000-01 to catalyse revolving fund operations in other States. Another $2 million has been allocated in 2001-02 to further encourage revolving fund activity in other States.
Contact: Environment Australia - Natural Heritage Trust and Biodiversity Policy Branch - (02) 6274 2325
The Commonwealth is a leader in natural and cultural heritage conservation, establishing and managing protected areas and building land-management partnerships with Indigenous Australians.
The overall aim is to establish a comprehensive and representative system of land-based, ecologically significant parks and reserves. This objective is partly addressed through the National Reserve System Programme, which encourages all landholders to add ecologically significant land to the reserve system, and to develop and implement best practice management standards. It also provides incentives for Indigenous people to participate through the voluntary declaration of protected areas on their lands.
The Government is directly responsible for ten land-based parks and reserves. These include the unique island ecosystems of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the Christmas Island Territory and the Norfolk Island National Park and Botanic Garden. The Government also manages the marine reserves associated with Christmas Island, Pulu Keeling and Booderee National Parks. In 2001 visitor facilities are being established on Pulu Keeling, and recovery plans are being developed to protect the green parrot on Norfolk Island.
The Government plays a leading role in the development of world best practice park management, participating in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and other relevant international groups. Australia also shares expertise with other countries facing similar conservation issues, such as Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
Organisations such as the United Nations consider Australia to be a world leader in joint management arrangements for national parks. Kakadu, Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Booderee national parks are managed jointly with their Aboriginal traditional owners. These parks are managed through Boards of Management, with traditional owners having majority membership. Lease arrangements and a share of revenue are paid to traditional owners for the use of their land. Joint management arrangements provide Aboriginal people with opportunities to be actively involved in land management. This results in improved natural and cultural heritage outcomes and other benefits, such as employment and training. The Government also funds and facilitates initiatives to improve resources, employment and educational opportunities for traditional owners and other Indigenous people living in these national park regions. The success of the joint management initiative has led to consideration of similar arrangements by the States and Territories and overseas governments.
Government funding ensures that the Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) and Booderee Botanic Garden carry out valuable conservation work. The ANBG, in Canberra, features Australia's most extensive collection of native plants, and is used for research into plant classification and biology as well as for public enjoyment and education. Plants threatened in the wild are cultivated to protect them from extinction and to provide information that might assist in their re-introduction to their natural habitat. The ANBG is in the process of finalising its 2001-2007 Plan of Management. The draft plan provides for the ANBG to pursue sponsorships, continue commercial ventures and encourage new commercial partnerships. Once the plan is implemented the ANBG will have the infrastructure to enable it to create or take advantage of commercial opportunities.
Activities at the Booderee Botanic Gardens, at Jervis Bay, New South Wales, include the display of south-east coastal flora; demonstrations of the Aboriginal use of plants; and support for the use of local native plants in the surrounding region for restoration and rehabilitation purposes.
The remarkable ecology of Christmas Island is internationally significant. Millions of crabs, famous for their annual migration, cultivate the soil of this tropical rainforested island in the Indian Ocean. Many seabirds, including endangered, migratory species, nest and roost in these forests.
Concern that rainforest clearing for phosphate mining was endangering a unique bird species, the Abbott's booby, led to the establishment of Christmas Island National Park. The park now includes 63 per cent of the land area of Christmas Island. Features of the park include habitat for endemic mammal and lizard species, a mangrove swamp and fascinating cave fauna. The adjacent sea, in which coral and fish abound, has been proclaimed a marine reserve within one kilometre of the park.
Parks Australia staff oversee protection of the island's wildlife, both within and outside the national park. About eight years ago staff noticed that crabs were dying in large numbers. Staff and a team of scientists from Monash University discovered that a rapidly spreading infestation of the introduced yellow crazy ant was the cause. The infestation has the potential to wreck the entire Christmas Island ecology. Diligent research and practical design led to the development of a suitable bait to reduce ant activity. With the assistance of industry, this bait was manufactured and delivered for a local team to spread by hand in rugged terrain. This was done in time for the crabs to safely undertake their year 2000 migration, essential to the breeding cycle, across ant infested areas.
In order to conserve the special natural heritage of Christmas Island, staff continue to develop responsive strategies. Research into ant control methods that avoid the use of poisons continues.
Contact: Environment Australia - Parks Australia North, Christmas Island - (08) 9164 8700
The release of Australia's Oceans Policy in December 1998 demonstrated the Government`s commitment to Australia's ocean environment.
Implementation of the policy is achieved predominantly through regional marine plans, developed by the National Oceans Office as part of a comprehensive ocean-management framework, and through the continued implementation of the principles of ecologically sustainable development by relevant agencies. Regional marine plans will establish an integrated process within which the sustainable use and exploration of Australia's marine resources can be undertaken. The first regional marine plan, now being drafted, covers waters off Tasmania (including Macquarie Island), Victoria, parts of South Australia and south-eastern New South Wales. Other plans will be progressively introduced for various marine regions around Australia over the next few years.
The declining state of many estuaries around coastal Australia is cause for concern. The Government will focus much of its investment under the Natural Heritage Trust's Coasts and Clean Seas initiative and the National River Health Programme on improving coastal and estuarine water quality. Important estuarine wetland areas will be protected under the National Wetlands Programme.
A range of regulatory and other policy measures are in place to protect the marine environment. Under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, strategic environmental impact assessments of all management plans for Commonwealth fisheries are required by 2005. Export oriented fisheries, including State managed fisheries, must be assessed by December 2003 to show that harvesting is undertaken in accordance with ecologically sustainable management arrangements. The Australian Fisheries Management Authority works to ensure the sustainable use and efficient management of Commonwealth fishery resources on a day-to-day basis.
Australia has been at the forefront of international efforts to combat illegal fishing. These efforts led to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations adopting an international plan of action to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Such fishing threatens fisheries in, and adjacent to, the Australian Fishing Zone, particularly Patagonian toothfish in subantarctic waters, orange roughy and southern bluefin tuna.
The Government has provided $10 million towards the $20 million Queensland East Coast Trawl Restructure Programme. The programme supports a management plan that will cap and reduce the level of fishing in sensitive ecosystems, including in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, and require the use of by-catch reduction and turtle exclusion devices. It will help to protect fish stocks and the benthic marine environment.
The Coasts and Clean Seas initiative, funded through the Natural Heritage Trust, supports the conservation, sustainable use and repair of Australia's coastal and marine environments. Programmes under this initiative also address marine waste and debris, and introduced marine pests. They will substantially reduce the adverse impacts of pollution and degradation of coastal and marine waterways, as well as boosting vital conservation efforts along sensitive coastal and estuarine areas.
Part of this initiative is the Fisheries Action Programme, which aims to rebuild Australia's fisheries to more productive and sustainable levels by a range of measures. These include providing funds for projects that focus on collection of data and resource information; raising industry and community awareness; encouraging industry and community participation; and establishing partnerships with government, industry and the community.
Other Government programmes, including the Urban Stormwater initiative and the Cleaning Our Waterways - Industry Partnership Programme, aim to improve the health of urban waterways in major coastal cities, halting pollution before it reaches our oceans. The Government also continues to fund a number of national programmes aimed at protecting marine and coastal environments by engendering community and industry stewardship. National leadership and demonstration projects have brought significant improvements in waterways in a number of urban areas.
Efforts continue to establish a National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas to promote the conservation of marine biodiversity and the sustainable use of marine resources. Five protected areas have been declared since 1996.
Marine biodiversity commitments are being pursued through international fora. The aim is to identify and protect marine biodiversity, partly by developing marine protected areas in international waters.
In 2001 the Government will continue to advocate the formation of the South Pacific Whale Sanctuary as a step towards the creation of a global whale sanctuary. Australia will also continue its participation in the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, the Network of Aquatic Centres in Asia Pacific, and the Forum Fisheries Committee of the South Pacific Communities. It will also participate in preparatory work to establish a new commission to manage the tuna and tuna-like species of the western and central Pacific Ocean.
Research plays an important role in the improved management of our coasts and oceans. The Australian Institute of Marine Science conducts scientific research to improve understanding of marine systems and biodiversity. The aim is to develop a capability to predict the behaviour of complex tropical marine systems and capture the benefits of biodiversity. The CSIRO produces tools and strategies to assist in the sustainable management of fisheries and marine and estuarine ecosystems, and in improved environmental protection. The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation manages research and development programmes relating to the Australian fishing industry, promoting the commercialisation of research and development results.
The Australian Nuclear and Science Technology Organisation contributes to environmental management through sediment and effluent research. The Defence Science and Technology Organisation undertakes research on biofouling and marine pollution control technologies for ships and submarines.
Reconciliation, cultural tourism, disabled access and environment restoration are themes of the 'One Track for All' project being undertaken at the northern headland of Ulladulla Harbour in New South Wales. The Budawang Aboriginal community, assisted by a $30,000 grant from Coastcare, is building a walking track around the headland that will be accessible by frail and disabled people.
The project will rehabilitate the headland by arresting erosion and eradicating weeds. Wheelchair access trails, heritage interpretive sites and artworks will be installed and lookouts along the track will be used to tell Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal history. Timber carvings, wood burnings and sculptures will feature a range of topics: the traditional lifestyle of Aboriginal people, steamships that plied the coast for whales or came to collect cedar, the settlement of the nearby town of Milton and the arrival of Italian immigrants who formed the mainstay of the fishing industry.
The project is being implemented jointly by the Jirrawich Aboriginal Training Association and Healthy Cities Shoalhaven. Noel Butler, project supervisor and Aboriginal community leader, says the project will generate a better understanding of the area's history and a sense of pride in the headland. 'I believe the more people who are using an area, the better protection it has,' Mr Butler said. 'The more people that can use the place and learn about it, the more that bush gives to them and the more they in turn give back'.
Contact: Environment Australia - Marine Coasts and Wetlands Branch - (02) 6274 1090
The Government continues to reform environment and heritage law in accordance with the 1997 Council of Australian Governments' Review of Commonwealth-State Roles and Responsibilities for the Environment.
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), the most fundamental reform of Commonwealth environment laws since the first environment statutes were enacted in the 1970s, has its first full year of operation in 2001-02. Under the EPBC Act, the Commonwealth is involved in the environmental assessment and approval of development proposals which may impact significantly upon matters of national environmental significance. These matters are defined in Part 3 of the EPBC Act.
Of the development proposals received as of 30 April 2001 on which a decision has been made, 32 per cent have been determined to require approval from the Minister for the Environment and Heritage. Referrals have been received for offshore petroleum exploration or mining, roads, residential developments, aquaculture developments, tourism ventures, water management, port developments, industrial developments and airports.
Some of the more high-profile development proposals involve the undertaking of a seismic survey near the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, an irrigated cotton development expansion near the Macquarie Marshes in New South Wales and a nuclear waste repository in South Australia.
The Government has also prepared a package of heritage Bills designed to provide more effective protection for places of national heritage significance. This protection regime is to be incorporated into the EPBC Act. When these Bills are passed by Parliament, places on the National Heritage List will be matters of national environmental significance under the EPBC Act. The Minister for the Environment and Heritage is also discussing with the States, Territories and interested parties a proposal to include greenhouse emissions as a matter of national environmental significance.
A key aspect of the EPBC Act is the development of bilateral agreements that allow for the accreditation of the State and Territory processes and systems by the Commonwealth. This partnership approach ensures best practice assessments will be employed by all jurisdictions in relation to matters of national environmental significance. A bilateral agreement was signed with Tasmania in December 2000. Negotiations with other States and Territories are well advanced.
Airservices Australia has a number of environmental obligations under the Air Services Act 1995, Ministerial Directions and relevant Commonwealth and State legislation. Airservices Australia provides information, advice and services, including aircraft noise monitoring services and environmental impact information, in relation to noise from aircraft operations to the Government, industry and communities surrounding airports.
There has been longstanding community concern that the description of noise exposure for communities surrounding airports is misleading. As a consequence, the Department of Transport and Regional Services is developing a number of new ways to describe aircraft noise. These are based on using everyday language and fewer technical terms. A major discussion paper has been released and a software package is being developed.
Contact: Department of Transport and Regional Services - Airport Operations Branch - (02) 6274 7993
The Government is working with Australian companies to improve their environmental performance. It has adopted a two-pronged approach: encouraging improved environmental management practices through partnership arrangements with industry, and taking action to minimise the adverse environmental impacts of hazardous materials and waste products. It is also implementing measures to improve the environmental performance of its own departments and operations.
A key initiative in this process has been the Business for Sustainable Development Programme which the Government set up last year. Through this programme the Government works with industries to promote eco-efficiency and its benefits for business and the environment, and to minimise waste. Eco-efficiency involves improving the efficiency of industrial practices and processes in order to reduce resource use and wastes. This in turn reduces business costs. So far the Government has entered into eco-efficiency agreements with several major industry associations covering over 350,000 businesses, and will work with these associations over three years to promote eco-efficiency to these industries. Further agreements will be entered into this year. The ultimate aim is to cover all major industry sectors in Australia. Eco-efficiency tools are being developed to help industries assess, improve and report on their environmental performance. This year the Australian Bureau of Statistics will commence national environment management surveys to help target future programmes and policies.
The Government is working with the financial sector to encourage financial institutions to consider environmental management in their lending, investment and insurance decisions. The Government will continue to use economic instruments to support business expenditure on environmental impact studies and pollution control measures.
The need for expertise in environmental management techniques has led to the development of an innovative and rapidly expanding environment industry sector. Through the Environment Industries Action Agenda, the Government will help Australia's environment industry to grow and take up international opportunities. The Government is actively promoting Australian environment industry capabilities domestically and internationally. One promotional measure is the EnviroNET, an Internet gateway that disseminates Australian solutions to environmental protection problems and promotes Australian companies with environmental expertise to the world.
This year the Government will work with industry in preparation for the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (referred to as Rio+10). This gathering of governments, industry and other relevant parties from around the world will review progress towards sustainable development since the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (held in Rio de Janeiro). Australia will promote new approaches and actions to help industries globally to become more sustainable.
The Government and the Ecotourism Association of Australia are working together to develop a national plan for Australia's contribution to the United Nations' `2002 -International Year of Ecotourism'. The plan will encourage initiatives to increase the sustainability of tourism and raise awareness of the principles of ecotourism, including the conservation of the natural environment.
Pollutants and hazardous materials from industrial activities may have national and international impacts. The Government participates in several national and international fora that promote the safe management of wastes, hazardous chemicals and radioactive materials. The National Environment Protection Council, a key Ministerial Council initiative, has developed the National Pollutant Inventory and a range of other environment protection measures. It will work on measures to tackle diesel emissions and toxic air pollutants in the coming year.
Projects are being funded under the Waste Management Awareness Programme that provide national leadership in various waste management issues, including construction and demolition waste and environmental life cycle assessments. To improve the management of waste oil nationally, transitional assistance will be provided over the next three years to help industry to implement product stewardship arrangements. These arrangements aim to increase the quantity of waste oil recycled or re-used, thus minimising the adverse environmental impacts that result from inappropriate disposal.
The Government manages the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme and the National Registration Scheme for Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals. Internationally, Australia participated in negotiations for the Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and is now considering domestic measures that will achieve the objectives of the convention. It has signed the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent and is implementing the interim procedure, that mirrors the convention's obligations, on a voluntary basis. The convention assists all countries to make sound scientific decisions in relation to the import and export of certain hazardous chemicals. In addition, Australia has an important role in the joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Codex Alimentarius process, as well as other processes run by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which review and assess agricultural and veterinary (agvet) chemicals on the basis of trade, health and environmental concerns.
Australia's aid programme has funded a project to compile an inventory of POPs in Pacific island countries. Australia is now considering funding a second phase to remove from these countries the particularly hazardous, intractable POPs (mostly industrial chemicals and pesticides) that cannot be safely managed locally, and to transport the material to Australia for safe destruction.
The Government's scientific organisations contribute significantly to the environmental performance of Australian industry. They set standards and provide technical expertise and advice in the management of chemicals, radioactive substances, wastes and hazardous materials. The CSIRO, Australian Nuclear and Science Technology Organisation, Australian Institute of Marine Science, the Supervising Scientist Division of Environment Australia and the Australian Government Analytical Laboratories (AGAL) are investigating and developing technologies that will lead to cleaner and more environmentally sustainable operations in mining, chemical manufacturing, tourism and other industries.
The Government is working with rural industries to ensure effective environmental management of agvet chemicals at all stages of the supply chain, from production to disposal.
In the production stage, the AGAL provides agvet chemical standards to manufacturing laboratories and conducts national studies of laboratory practices to assist in improving their performance.
Before new agvet chemicals are placed on the market, the Government assesses their impacts on the environment, public health, occupational health and trade under the national registration scheme for agvet chemicals. Older chemicals are also assessed progressively to determine whether they meet current standards.
To promote eco-efficiency throughout the agvet chemicals supply chain, the Government has entered into a three-year agreement with Avcare, the National Association for Crop Production and Animal Health.
The ChemCollect Programme, funded jointly with the States and the Northern Territory, ensures environmentally responsible disposal of agvet chemicals. Through ChemCollect, stockpiles of unwanted agvet chemicals are collected at no cost to primary producers, and the chemicals are then safely destroyed. These chemicals would otherwise pose a risk to human health, the environment and international markets for Australian produce. The programme commenced in 2000 and will be completed during 2002. As at March 2001, 308 tonnes of farm chemicals had been collected. Of these, approximately 10 per cent were persistent organochlorine pesticides. The Government has negotiated the ChemClear programme, which will be run by industry, to provide for long-term collection of unwanted agvet chemicals once ChemCollect is completed.
Contact: Environment Australia - Sustainable Industries Branch - (02) 6274 2737
In addition to working with the private sector, the Government is aware of the role that the Commonwealth, state and local governments play in the Australian economy and of the importance of `greening' the government sector as well as other sectors of the economy. The Commonwealth is examining its own operations as part of a wider approach to Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD). The aim of ESD is to meet the needs of today while conserving our ecosystems for the benefit of future generations.
Australia's transition to sustainability is a critical national priority. Implementing ESD - a responsibility shared by governments, industry, business and the community as a whole - represents one of the greatest challenges facing Australia in the coming years.
The Government recognises that, through its policies and operations, it has a significant effect on Australia's transition to sustainability. For example, the Commonwealth has outlays of approximately $150 billion annually and employs over 110,000 people. Increasing the efficiency of the Government's resource use has obvious benefits for sustainability.
As part of a wider approach to ESD, the Government is concentrating on `greening' its own operations. A robust and transparent legislative framework has been established under which the Government, for the first time, must report publicly on its environmental performance. The framework applies to all functions of Government - operational, policy and legislative.
All Government agencies are required by law to report on the extent to which the principles of ESD are adopted in Government processes, and how expenditure contributes to achieving ecologically sustainable development. The Government is also required to report on the effect its policies and operations have on the environment, and the measures taken to minimise any negative effects and improve environmental performance.
The Government also pays close attention to other aspects of its operations that impact on the environment, such as purchasing practices, energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and implementing environmental management strategies.
Some agencies have developed environmental management plans to help them meet the Government's environmental requirements. These identify areas where environmental and financial benefits can be achieved concurrently, assist in meeting monitoring and reporting requirements, and identify strategies for continued improvement. Environment Australia has developed a model environment management system to help other agencies improve environmental performance.
The Government's management of airports demonstrates its commitment to improved environmental management. The Airports Act 1996 and the Airports (Environment Protection) Regulations have been developed in accordance with best practice standards. They provide for the implementation of environment management systems and the emerging National Environment Protection Measures. Under these arrangements, Airport Environment Officers have been employed to consult with airport stakeholders in regard to their environmental obligations and monitor progress to minimise environmental impacts of airport operations.
All Commonwealth agencies are required to reduce energy consumption by improving the energy efficiency of transport operations, buildings and building-related activities. The 1999-2000 Commonwealth Energy Report documents a 10.6 per cent reduction in energy usage and a 9.2 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Overall the report indicates that the Government is on track to achieve its 2002-03 targets for energy use reductions in buildings. These reductions have resulted in significant energy budget savings.
In the Australian Antarctic Division research continues into alternative energy systems suitable for Antarctic stations. The aim is to reduce or eliminate dependence on fossil fuels and reduce operating costs. The planned introduction of wind turbines at Mawson station should eventually eliminate the use of fossil fuels for heat and power generation.
The scale of the Government's activities, particularly in regard to expenditure, places it in a powerful position to stimulate the more sustainable use of resources throughout the economy. For example, increased demand for products with recycled content will expand the market for recoverable material and decrease the use of virgin materials in production. The Commonwealth's procurement guidelines promote the purchasing of goods and services which ensure the protection of the environment. The Government is also investigating measures such as guidebooks and a procurement helpdesk that will assist staff in implementing these guidelines.
Packaging waste is a major environmental issue in Australia, and the National Packaging Covenant is a key initiative in this important area. It is designed to minimise the environmental impacts of consumer packaging waste, achieve higher levels of recycling and develop economically viable and sustainable recycling collection systems. The Government is fully committed to the covenant and has actively participated in its development and implementation. The Government is a signatory to the covenant, thus obliging all its agencies to reduce the environmental impact of packaging materials within their sphere of responsibility.
Declining inland water quality and increasing salinity are major challenges facing Australia, especially rural industries and regional communities. The Government is facing this challenge with a comprehensive suite of programmes aimed at improving the quality of Australia's inland waters and promoting their sustainable use.
The Government released its National Action Plan on Salinity and Water Quality in October 2000. All States and Territories subsequently endorsed it. Under this plan $1.4 billion will be invested over seven years by the Commonwealth, States and Territories to address salinity, particularly dryland salinity, and deteriorating water quality in key catchments and regions across Australia.
The plan complements other Government initiatives (outlined below) undertaken in partnership with communities and industry to improve the state of Australia's catchments, rivers and wetlands.
The Lake Eyre Basin Intergovernmental Agreement, signed in October 2000, provides a framework for the cooperative management of water and related natural resources associated with the cross-border river systems in the Lake Eyre Basin. The Lake Eyre Basin Intergovernmental Agreement Act 2001 was passed by Commonwealth Parliament on 4 April 2001. The Government is firmly committed to working with the Basin community to ensure the protection of the outstanding natural and cultural values associated with the Lake Eyre Basin.
The Murray-Darling 2001 Programme brings an integrated catchment management approach to the use of the Murray-Darling Basin's water, land and other environmental resources. In 2001-02 the programme will dedicate approximately $35 million of Natural Heritage Trust funding to improving water quality and the health of riparian (riverbank) land systems, wetlands and floodplains. Through the widespread adoption of sustainable land use and management practices by landholders, including the efficient use of irrigation water, the programme seeks to reduce salinity and waterlogging in irrigated and dryland areas.
In March 2001 the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council agreed to a structural works programme to provide passage for migratory fish from the sea to Hume Dam at a total cost of $10 million over five years. The council also agreed to a seven-year salt interception capital works programme. The Government will also invest $75 million over ten years in water savings works in New South Wales and Victoria to generate additional environmental flows for the Murray River.
The Great Artesian Basin Sustainability initiative is aimed at the partial recovery of artesian pressures in strategic areas of the basin. The works under this initiative are a central part of the comprehensive management framework proposed in the strategic management plan to improve management practices across the basin and achieve sustainable use of the groundwater resource. The partial recovery in pressure and water saved will maintain options for the future use of the resource and result in direct benefits to pastoral industries and to the environment.
The National Rivercare Programme works towards the sustainable management, rehabilitation and conservation of individual river systems outside the Murray-Darling Basin. Rivercare works with all levels of government, industry and the community to maintain or improve water quality by preventing pollution, improving the management of discharge, controlling stock access to rivers, managing accelerated erosion or build-up of river banks or beds, and contributing to healthy stream and riparian ecosystems.
The National River Health Programme identifies priorities to protect and repair the health of rivers in partnership with State and Territory Governments, research organisations, industry and the community. It consists of two sub-components, the Environmental Flows Initiative and Australia-wide Assessment of River Health. These components assist in the implementation of the Council of Australian Governments' Water Reform Framework. Data generated by river health assessments contributes to the State of the Environment Report and the National Land and Water Resources Audit.
The protection of the 56 wetlands listed as internationally significant under the Ramsar Convention, and other wetlands of national significance, will be improved by the use of better planning and management practices consistent with the Australian Ramsar Management Principles under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
The conservation, repair and wise use of more than 800 wetlands of national importance across Australia is promoted through the National Wetlands Programme. The programme implements the Commonwealth wetlands policy and supports Australia's obligations under international conventions and bilateral agreements. Initiatives include management plans for all Australian Ramsar sites; a national wetland inventory; the nomination of additional sites to the Ramsar Convention and to the Shorebird Site Network; and support for community wetlands projects. The programme also provides support and advice to BHP's $2.5 million Revive our Wetlands Programme. This aims to revitalise 100 nationally and internationally significant wetlands around Australia.
The Government, through a programme of national and international cooperation, will advocate the protection of major wetland sites in the East Asian-Australasian flyway, a migratory route used by waterbirds in their cyclical movements between Australia-New Zealand and the Arctic Circle. At least ten new Australian sites will be added to the Shorebird Site Network, established under the Asia-Pacific Migratory Waterbird Conservation Strategy.
The Government continues to implement programmes that rehabilitate and repair our rivers and wetlands through on-ground action and awareness-raising programmes in partnership with other spheres of government, the community and industry. The Waterwatch Australia programme coordinates community water monitoring activities to address water quality. Water monitoring creates an ownership ethic for catchment-wide land and water management. This programme creates links within communities, between local and State governments, and between the business sector and other organisations (as an example, refer to the case study in the Environmental Volunteers section of Chapter 5).
The Government recognises that better management of water quality and quantity for sustainable use requires an integrated understanding of our inland water systems and their condition.
It has adopted a number of science-based strategies for national water reform, sustainable management of coastal rivers and estuaries, urban water quality, and supply and best practice management of irrigated areas. The CSIRO and the Australian Nuclear and Science Technology Organisation have contributed to the ecological management of Australia's inland waters through the use of nuclear techniques to estimate more accurately the amount of water which can sustainably be extracted from such systems.
The work of the National Land and Water Resources Audit has been undertaken in close cooperation with the States and Territories. This work represents the most comprehensive and freely available up-to-date collection of data and information on Australia's natural resources, including the issues of availability, management, allocation and efficiency of use of Australia's surface and groundwater.
Following extensive community consultation, the Commonwealth, Queensland and South Australian Governments signed the Lake Eyre Basin Intergovernmental Agreement in October 2000. The agreement provides for the sustainable management of the water and related natural resources associated with the major cross-border river systems of the Lake Eyre Basin. The Lake Eyre Basin Intergovernmental Agreement Act 2001 was passed by the Commonwealth Parliament on 4 April 2001.
The area covered by the agreement includes the Cooper Creek system (including the Thomson and Barcoo rivers) and the Diamantina River system (including the Georgina River and Warburton Creek). The Lake Eyre Basin includes areas of outstanding natural and cultural heritage value and makes a vital contribution to the economies of South Australia, Queensland and the nation as a whole.
The agreement establishes the Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Forum to develop, adopt and review policies and strategies related to the management of these river systems. The forum will have access to scientific and technical advice. It will work closely with the Basin community and seek its advice in implementing the agreement.
Contact: Environment Australia - Water Branch - (02) 6274 2223
The Government recognises that achieving sustainable land management requires integration between biodiversity conservation and sustainable production objectives. Successfully addressing Australia's natural resource management problems requires partnerships between all levels of government, industry and the community.
The Natural Heritage Trust provides an integrated approach to sustainable land and water management and the conservation of Australia's biodiversity. Trust programmes that directly address land management issues include the National Landcare Programme and the National Land and Water Resources Audit. Trust funding in 2001-02 will be complemented by the new National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality.
To address national priorities, the Government is placing increasing emphasis on targeted action and improved strategic planning, particularly at the regional level. The National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality and other sustainable land management initiatives will support and integrate on-ground action at the landscape level.
Two of the most critical issues confronting Australia's environment, rural industries and regional communities are salinity and deteriorating water quality. The National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality identifies high priority, immediate actions to address these issues. Funding will be provided to affected regions to implement integrated catchment/regional management plans. Governments will support this regional approach through substantial `block' funding for strategic actions specified in catchment plans and through the provision of technical assistance, skills training, information and data. Support will also involve the development of pilot programmes for market-based instruments to encourage best practice management, as well as assistance for research and development. Accompanying reforms in land and water management will ensure that actions have long-lasting benefits. In 2001-02 the Government will spend $65 million implementing the plan.
The Government recognises that growth in Australia's rural industries depends on improving the long-term productivity of natural resources in Australia. The National Landcare Programme, providing $69.7 million in 2001-02, develops and implements resource management practices that conserve our soil, water and biological resources while promoting community, industry and government partnerships in the management of natural resources.
The Government also recognises that greater competitiveness in the agricultural sector will increase the sector's ability to finance ecologically sustainable farm practices. In 2001-02, $20.4 million will be provided through the FarmBis Programme to promote sustainability and self-reliance by developing business management skills and communicating the benefits of continuous learning. The Government provides direct funding for training activities such as quality assurance, risk management, rural leadership and natural resource management.
A number of financial incentives promote better land and water management. These incentives include deductions for the cost of conserving and conveying water and for capital expenditure on soil conservation, preventing land degradation and related measures. A tax rebate has also been available for expenditure on landcare works.
The Government has initiated a comprehensive package of forestry, farm forestry and plantation programmes to ensure the sustainability of forestry industries and reduce Australia's net greenhouse gas emissions.
The Farm Forestry Programme, with funding of $9.2 million in 2001-02, aims to increase agricultural productivity and sustainable natural resource management by encouraging the incorporation of commercial tree growing for the purpose of wood and non-wood production.
Plantations for Australia: the 2020 Vision aims to build a commercially oriented, internationally competitive and environmentally sustainable plantation sector by trebling the nation's plantation estate over the period 1996-2020. In addition to offsetting greenhouse gas emissions and producing other environmental benefits, it is intended that the programme will reverse the trade deficit for wood products and stimulate rural development.
The Government requires up-to-date information and research data on land management issues as a basis for policy development, and to monitor and review the effectiveness of current programmes and policies.
Improving the forest-related knowledge base underpins the development of sustainable forest policies and initiatives while promoting industry development. The National Forest Inventory is Australia's repository for forest-related scientific spatial information. It ensures Australia's national and international forest reporting requirements are met. The Government is also supporting the development of an Australian Forestry Standard to underpin Australia's efforts in developing a world-class certification system for forest management.
Understanding the sustainable use of natural resources in an integrated way is critical to understanding sustainability issues. The CSIRO undertakes research on a range of land and forest management issues. CSIRO research subjects include sustainable agriculture through changed land use and management practices; degraded landscape management and rehabilitation; tools for sustainable resource use at regional scales; and sustainable native forest management.
Relevant and comprehensive data is required to assess the likely costs and benefits of land and water resource management decisions. The National Land and Water Resources Audit provides data and undertakes analysis to facilitate improved decision-making on land, water, vegetation and natural resource management by building an Australia-wide information base. The audit has seven themes: surface and groundwater management; dryland salinity; vegetation cover and condition; rangeland monitoring; land-use change; capacity to implement change; and waterway, estuarine, catchment and landscape health.
In 2001-02, $11.3 million has been allocated to the Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation which carries out research and development activities relating to the conservation and sustainable management of Australia's land, water and vegetation resources.
The Murray Land and Water Management Plans project is one of the largest community projects funded by the Natural Heritage Trust. The project aims to involve all the farms in the mid-Murray region of New South Wales (currently 3,090 farms) by 2010. The mid-Murray region, around Deniliquin, covers 948,000 hectares of intensively managed agricultural land and is home to 25,000 people. It is also part of the Murray-Darling Basin, one of Australia's most important agricultural areas and a significant environmental asset.
The community has developed the plans and the first five-year implementation period (1995-2000) has now concluded. The second phase of the project has a more concentrated focus on strategic works at both the farm and district levels. The plans have a 30-year timeframe for implementation and are designed to achieve sustainable land-use systems for the mid-Murray region.
The plans help tackle serious land, water and vegetation management issues, such as preventing the onset of salinity and improving water quality. They form an integrated strategy of farm-level and district-scale works, including education, monitoring, research and development programmes.
The plans are an outstanding example of how a genuine partnership between the community and government can address a complex range of environmental, social and economic problems on a regional scale.
Contact: Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Australia - Natural Resource Management Branch - (02) 6272 4622
Under the Government's proposed heritage regime, Commonwealth legislation will, for the first time, provide substantive protection for places of heritage significance. The existing legislation is outdated and deficient - for example, it provides a procedural safeguard but no substantive protection for heritage places.
The Government will spend up to $8.5 million in 2001-02 implementing the new regime, which will provide for the identification and conservation of Australia's most outstanding heritage assets. It will also enable the Government to focus, for the first time, on heritage of national significance, while respecting the role of the States in delivering on-ground management of heritage places.
The new regime will also establish a list of heritage places under Commonwealth control and create an independent expert advisory body, the Australian Heritage Council, to advise the Government on the listing and protection of heritage places.
The regime will build upon the existing framework in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and complement the World Heritage Management Programme that already operates under the Act.
The Government will provide $15 million to States and Territories in 2001-02 through the World Heritage Management Programme to ensure that World Heritage property management meets the high standard required. The Government is also working with the States to develop World Heritage nominations for the Sydney Opera House and the Purnululu National Park in Western Australia.
An Asia-Pacific World Heritage Forum will be held in Australia in 2001-02 to promote the implementation of the World Heritage Convention in the region and to examine the benefits of World Heritage for economic development. As a major contributor to the World Heritage Convention, Australia will continue its membership and presidency of the World Heritage Committee until the expiration of Australia's term in October this year.
The Australian Heritage Commission will continue to identify and conserve the National Estate until such time as the Commonwealth's new heritage legislation is enacted.
Nearly $4 million will be provided through the Federation Cultural and Heritage Programme for the conservation and adaptive re-use of some of Australia's most important heritage buildings. Funding will also be provided to important national projects through the Federation Fund. The Government will provide grants of $5 million in 2001-02 to preserve the historic features or attributes of selected buildings through the Conservation of Rural and Regional Historic Hotels measure.
A grant of $5 million will be provided to the Goondiwindi Town Council to enable the construction of a water park at Serpentine Lagoon. The Goondiwindi Serpentine Water Park is being established to protect natural heritage and provide an alternative recreational venue to Boobera Lagoon which will be closed to powerboats from 2002 in order to better protect its cultural heritage values.
The Government recognises that the identification, conservation and restoration of places of cultural heritage significance in Australia should be undertaken in partnership with local government, community based non-government organisations and private owners of heritage places. In 2001-02 selected organisations and individuals involved in cultural heritage activities will continue to receive funding through the Cultural Heritage Projects Programme.
Grants-In-Aid will be provided to National Trusts to identify, conserve and promote heritage throughout Australia. Funding will continue to be provided for the conservation and management of the Kingston and Arthur's Vale Historic Area on Norfolk Island. Management of the area, which contains one of the finest collections of Georgian buildings in the Commonwealth, is undertaken in partnership with the Norfolk Island Government.
The Government will create a lasting heritage legacy for Sydney, protecting and managing the unique natural and cultural heritage values of six properties on Sydney Harbour. These properties include the former Artillery School on North Head, Defence lands at Middle Head-Georges Heights, Woolwich Dock, Cockatoo and Snapper islands and Macquarie Light-station. In 2001-02 up to $14 million will be spent on security, maintenance and in preparing management plans for these properties. The plans will be prepared in consultation with the community. Funding will also provide for public access.
Through the Historic Shipwrecks Programme the Government, in cooperation with the States and Territories, administers the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976. The programme aims to protect and preserve historic shipwrecks and associated relics, and educate the community about this cultural resource.
Indigenous heritage and environment issues will be addressed through programmes providing for the identification, protection, preservation and management of cultural property by Indigenous people. The Government has proposed the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Bill 1998 to replace the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984. This will provide an improved Commonwealth regime for processing applications for heritage protection and a system of accreditation of State and Territory Indigenous heritage protection regimes.
Environment Australia will continue the pilot Heritage Tourism Programme initiated by the Australian Heritage Commission to assist regional communities to develop natural and cultural heritage tourism strategies.
This programme recognises that tourism can, if properly implemented, benefit regional economies and protect heritage places by attracting visitors to the authentic heritage of the area. To demonstrate this, a pilot project has been initiated in the Lake Eyre Basin, an area covering almost one-sixth of the Australian continent.
In 2000-01 the commission assisted the communities of the basin, through the Lake Eyre Basin Coordinating Group, to obtain a $220,000 grant from the Commonwealth's Regional Solutions Programme to develop Inland Rivers-Outback Tracks: A Heritage Tourism Strategy for Lake Eyre Basin. The aim of the strategy is to ensure the expansion of tourism in the Basin in a way that protects and sustains its natural and cultural heritage attractions and benefits local communities.
Environment Australia will continue to provide heritage advice and logistical support to the Lake Eyre Basin Coordinating Group during 2001-02 to ensure the strategy is successfully implemented.
Contact: Environment Australia - Identification and Conservation Branch - (02) 6274 2122
As a nation that claims more than 40 per cent of the Antarctic continent, Australia has a vital interest and plays a leading role in the protection of the Antarctic environment.
The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) manages the Commonwealth's Antarctic Programme. The AAD coordinates and manages the Antarctic science and logistics programmes and undertakes research to ensure that Australia's actions in Antarctica are soundly based. The AAD also promotes Australia's interests within the Antarctic Treaty System and administers the Australian Antarctic Territory and the subantarctic territory of Heard and McDonald Islands.
The Government continues to push for international agreements on improvements to the Antarctic environmental protection regime, including measures to improve protection of the marine living resources in the Southern Ocean within the fora of the Antarctic Treaty System.
The Government's Antarctic research programme provides the scientific information necessary to make sound decisions on the management of Antarctic marine living resources. It also underpins Australia's positions in the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), and decisions taken by that body.
Australia's vigorous efforts continue, through the CCAMLR and other channels, to combat illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing of toothfish in the Southern Ocean. Enforcement and surveillance efforts to combat unrelated and unreported fishing in Australia's territory around Heard and McDonald Islands also continue.
Within the Antarctic Treaty fora, Australia continues to seek progress in the negotiations for an annex to the Madrid Protocol on liability for environmental damage in Antarctica.
Research efforts into human impacts in Antarctica will continue, including research to reduce environmental impacts from past waste disposal sites and abandoned work sites in Antarctica and on the subantarctic islands.
The Government is also establishing a marine reserve around the World Heritage listed territory of Heard and McDonald Islands. An integrated management plan covering the new marine protected area and the territory will be developed during 2001.
Antarctica plays a central role in the global climate system. Research continues into the dynamic interactions between water, ice and atmosphere that create conditions that are far-reaching in their influence.
The Antarctic Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), based at the University of Tasmania, has as its partners the AAD, the Bureau of Meteorology, the Australian Geological Survey Organisation, the CSIRO Division of Marine Research and the University of Tasmania. In 2001-02 the CRC will continue work on the role of the Southern Ocean in global climate processes which has established the existence of a third major source of dense, high-salt Antarctic bottom water; on developing a technique for estimating distribution of sea-ice thickness; on natural iron levels in Southern Ocean surface waters and iron's role in production of microscopic algae; and on estimating likely changes over coming centuries in the Southern Ocean's carbon dioxide uptake.
Research on the middle atmosphere climate provides data that will help to develop more effective climate models and assist understanding of the region's chemistry, including ozone depletion. The glaciology programme also plays a crucial role in the development of models for thermal exchange between water, ice and atmosphere.
Data collected on Heard Island allow studies into the substantial retreat of glaciers on subantarctic islands to continue. This research has established that the Brown glacier receded some 400m since 1988 and 1.1km since 1947. Further studies to assess the significance of these data to climate change models will be conducted.
Antarctic science has practical application to the fields of shipping and navigation, and also supports Australia's international obligation to monitor nuclear tests and atmospheric quality. Much of the marine science work undertaken by the Australian Antarctic Science Programme has direct application to the conduct and management of fishing in Antarctic and subantarctic waters.
Antarctic research in the areas of atmospheric sciences, meteorology, cosmic ray physics, geosciences, life sciences, oceanography and human impacts continues to provide baseline data for future international research and trends in changes in the environment.
A 400m deep borehole, drilled through one of Antarctica's largest ice shelves using a new hot water drilling facility designed and constructed by the AAD, is providing researchers with a rare insight into the dynamics of these gigantic floating ice masses.
Amery Ice Shelf Ocean Research (AMISOR) is a new research project conducted by the AAD and the Antarctic Cooperative Research Centre. The project investigates the interaction between the Amery Ice Shelf and the ocean. The Amery, situated between Davis and Mawson stations, is the largest embayed shelf in East Antarctica. Melting and re-freezing processes occurring at the base of ice shelves modify the characteristics of the ocean, ultimately influencing deep global ocean circulation and global climate systems. Data gathered through the AMISOR project will contribute to our understanding of possible future climate changes.
The project consists of ship and shore based components. Initial measurements were made from on board the Antarctic research and supply vessel, Aurora Australis, during its 2000-01 scientific expedition in the waters off the Antarctic coast. Moored instrument strings have been left on site, both in the ocean immediately in front of the shelf and through the 400m access borehole, to record measurements over a complete annual cycle.
Contact: Australian Antarctic Division - Glaciology - (03) 6226 7648
The Government, in meeting its responsibilities to address environmental issues and maintain the environmental health of the nation, ensures that efforts and resources are fully coordinated to deliver the desired environmental outcomes.
The Government provides valuable environmental information to support decision-making.
Regular State of the Environment (SoE) reports provide timely and accessible information about the condition of the Australian environment. The 2001 SoE report will be presented to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage by 31 December this year. The Environmental Resources Information Network provides public access to a comprehensive range of environmental information.
Vital tools for environmental monitoring and natural resource management, such as remote sensing satellite imagery and mapping services, are provided by the Australian Surveying and Land Information Group.
Australia's Natural Resources Atlas, a key product of the National Land and Water Resources Audit (NLWRA), is now online and information is being progressively added to it. The atlas is accessible free of charge on the internet, at http://audit.ea.gov.au/ANRA/atlas_home.html. The atlas and the library that underpins it is the most up-to-date and comprehensive collection of information and data on Australia's natural resources available. NLWRA additions to the atlas will be complete in October 2001.
Increasing the competitiveness of industry while providing acceptable environmental outcomes is the main focus of the Government's Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Programme. This aims to strengthen the links between research and its commercial applications, and provides significant environmental and community benefits. Current areas of research include assessing impacts on the environmental and heritage values of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area; investigating issues concerning Australia's inland waterways through the Freshwater Ecology CRC; developing scientific capacities in greenhouse accounting; and developing Australia's sustainable tourism industry.
The Government encourages the active participation of all sectors of the community in caring for the health of the environment by raising awareness of environmental issues and providing the tools, opportunities and funding for involvement.
A number of initiatives are funded to promote sustainable development principles and policies within all levels of government. Local Agenda 21 and the Environmental Resource Officer scheme aim to improve environmental management in local government by helping to apply sustainable development principles and practices.
Environment Australia undertakes a range of education activities to raise awareness of environmental issues and the opportunities for community-based involvement. In 2001 this work will be extended by a number of measures. These include the environmental education national action plan, Environmental Education for a Sustainable Future, the ongoing work of the National Environmental Education Council and initiatives such as the National Environmental Education Network.
Local communities also have access to legal advice on environmental issues through the network of Government-funded Environmental Defenders' Offices.
A number of the Government's employment programmes have a positive environmental focus, providing training and work experience in environment, land and heritage projects.
An example is the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission's (ATSIC) Community Development Employment Projects scheme. This provides employment and training opportunities to Indigenous communities while contributing to the development of joint management regimes for areas of high conservation value. Also, under the Government's Mutual Obligation - Work for the Dole initiative, eligible job seekers are given the opportunity to undertake a range of community projects. Many include an environmental focus.
The Government supports a number of environmental health initiatives, both domestically and internationally. The Department of Health and Aged Care implements environmental health policies to reduce community exposure to environmental hazards, with a particular emphasis on sensitive and disadvantaged populations. It works closely with ATSIC to address specific environmental health issues confronting Indigenous communities.
The Department also supports environmental health activities undertaken by the World Health Organization to ensure that health and environment issues are an integral part of national development policies.
Many environmental challenges are highly complex and do not respect national boundaries. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade promotes solutions to international environmental issues consistent with Australia's economic, trade and environmental interests. Australia's overseas aid programme assists developing countries to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development.
The Government also seeks to advance its environmental and sustainable development agenda through the development of relationships with environmental agencies overseas.
More information on Australia's involvement in international environment-related activities is presented in Chapter 5.