Department of the Environment and Water Resources annual report 2006–07
Volume two
Department of the Environment and Water Resources, 2007
ISSN 1441-9335
Legislation annual reports 2006–07 (continued)
Operation of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (continued)
Appendix 3—Functions and membership of advisory committees established under the EPBC Act
Threatened Species Scientific Committee
Under section 503 of the EPBC Act, the functions of the Threatened Species Scientific Committee are:
- to advise the minister in accordance with Division 5 of Part 13 in relation to recovery plans, threat abatement plans and approved conservation advice
- to advise the minister (on the minister's request or on the committee's initiative) on the amendment and updating of the lists established under Part 13
- to advise the minister, at the minister's request, on matters relating to the administration of this Act
- to give the minister such other advice as is provided for in this Act
- to perform such other functions as are conferred on the committee by this Act.
| Associate Professor Robert Beeton (Chair) | Dr Bill Humphreys |
| Associate Professor Peter Harrison | Dr Tony Lewis |
| Mr Guy Fitzhardinge | Dr Andrea Taylor |
| Professor Gordon Grigg | Dr Rosemary Purdie |
| Professor Graham Harris | Dr John Woinarski |
Biological Diversity Advisory Committee
Under section 505 of the EPBC Act, the functions of the Biological Diversity Advisory Committee are:
- to advise the minister, at his/her request, on matters relating to the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of biological diversity
- to perform such other functions as are conferred on the committee by the EPBC Act or the Regulations.
Committee members can be appointed for up to five years.
| Name | Section of EPBC Act/group represented |
|---|---|
| Professor Ralf Buckley (Acting chair) | Tourism sector |
| Mr Kim Evans | 504 (a) The body known as the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (now Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council) |
| Mr Alistair Graham | 504 (4b) Conservation organisations that are not authorities of the Commonwealth or of any state or territory |
| Mr Tim Low | 504 (4c) Scientific community 'terrestrial' |
| Dr Patricia Mather AO | 504 (4c) Scientific community 'marine' |
| Mr Bill Sloane | 504 (4d) Rural community |
| Dr Cecil Camilleri | 504 (4e) Business community |
| Associate Professor Stephan Schnierer | 504 (4ea) Indigenous community |
| Dr Charlie Zammit | 504 (4f) Commonwealth |
| Dr Andrew Ash | 504 (4b) Scientific community |
| Councillor Bill Mitchell | Local government |
All positions on the committee lapsed at the end of their term in February 2007. The minister is currently considering candidates for appointment to the committee.
Indigenous Advisory Committee
Under section 505B of the EPBC Act, the Indigenous Advisory Committee provides advice to the minister on the operation of the EPBC Act, taking into account the significance of Indigenous people's knowledge of land management and the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. The committee:
- works with peak Indigenous bodies, experts, communities, and other stakeholders to ensure the views of Indigenous peoples are incorporated in the implementation and development of the Act
- works with key sections of the department to seek and provide advice and make recommendations to the minister and the department on Indigenous issues that are relevant under the Act
- monitors the implementation of bilateral agreements within the states and territories and advises the minister of their impact on Indigenous interests
- provides the minister with an annual report on Indigenous issues under the Act
- responds to any issues of urgency that arise during the implementation of the Act that require a response from the committee.
| Name | State or territory |
|---|---|
| Ms Melissa George (Chair) | Queensland |
| Mr Dave Johnston (Deputy chair) | Australian Capital Territory |
| Mr Rocky Sainty | Tasmania |
| Mr Vic McGrath | Torres Strait Islands |
| Mr Damein Bell | Victoria |
| Ms Francine McCarthy | Northern Territory |
| Mr Joe Morrison | Northern Territory |
| Mr Glen Kelly | Western Australia |
| Mr Robert Carroll | New South Wales |
| Dr Ngiare Brown | Northern Territory |
| Mr Daniel Oades | Western Australia |
| Vacant | New South Wales |
Australian Heritage Council
Under the Australian Heritage Council Act 2003, the functions of the Australian Heritage Council are to:
- make assessments of places under the national heritage criteria or the Commonwealth heritage criteria
- advise the minister on conserving and protecting places included in, or being considered for inclusion in the National Heritage List or Commonwealth Heritage List
- nominate places for inclusion in the heritage lists
- advise the minister on any heritage related matters, including promotion, research, training, national policies, the condition of places in heritage lists and historic shipwrecks
- promote the identification, assessment, conservation and monitoring of heritage
- keep the Register of the National Estate
- organise and engage in research
- provide advice generally
- prepare reports on any matters related to the functions of the council and provide them to the minister.
Amendments to the EPBC Act and the Australian Heritage Council Act 2003 which came into effect on 19 February 2007 made changes to the nomination and assessment process for the National Heritage List including the council's role in that process. The amendments also froze the Register of the National Estate.
| Mr Tom Harley (Chair) | Mr Rodney Dillon |
| Dr Jane Lennon AM | Dr Libby Mattiske |
| Dr Denis Saunders AM | Mr Howard Tanner |
| Dr Gaye Sculthorpe | Mr Richard Lewis (associate council member) |
In this section
- Introduction
- Overview
- 1. Protecting environment and heritage
- 2. Conserving biodiversity
- 3. Managing heritage and protecting significant areas
- 4. Monitoring and compliance
- 5. Reporting
- Appendix 1—Statistics on the operation of the EPBC Act in 2006—07
- Appendix 2—EPBC Act related publications in 2006—07
- Appendix 3—Functions and membership of advisory committees established under the EPBC Act
- Appendix 4—Compliance with timeframes (section 518 report)
Contents
Key
Links to another web site
Opens a pop-up window