Environment Budget Overview 2006-07
Environment and Heritage Portfolio
Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage, May 2006
Maintaining a comprehensive approach - continued
Other Government Portfolios
Activities that other Australian Government agencies undertake range from the day-to-day implementation of environmental management systems to science, research and industry partnerships.
NATIONAL WATER INITIATIVE
Water is a national priority issue and the Australian Government is committed to achieving environmentally sustainable water resource management. The National Water Initiative is a comprehensive strategy driven by the Australian Government to improve water management across the country. Australia’s highly variable and often scarce water resources are crucial for our economic, social and environmental wellbeing and it is important that we improve the productivity and efficiency of our water use, while maintaining healthy river and groundwater systems.
Australian Government Water Fund
The $2 billion Australian Government Water Fund is being used to promote increased productivity and better environmental and social outcomes through investment in smart water infrastructure and technologies, improved knowledge and water management, and better practices in the stewardship of Australia’s water resources.
The three main components of the Australian Government Water Fund are: Water Smart Australia; Raising National Water Standards; and the Community Water Grants programme. The National Water Commission, an independent statutory agency created in the Prime Minister’s Portfolio, administers the first two programmes. The Department of the Environment and Heritage and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry administer the Community Water Grants programme.
Water Smart Australia will provide $1.6 billion over five years from 2005–06 to accelerate the development and uptake of smart technologies and practices in water use across Australia. Through competitive grants, the Australian Government will continue to directly support projects that implement technologies and practices that improve water use and management. On World Water Day, 22 March 2006, the Prime Minister announced that the Government had already committed to supporting 28 water conservation projects across Australia involving initiatives worth over $1 billion with contributions from the Australian Government’s Water Fund of $392 million. Projects are demonstrating innovative approaches to water recycling and reuse, demonstrating water use efficiency techniques, integrated water resource planning and smart metering technology.
The Raising National Water Standards Programme will invest $200 million over five years from 2005–06 in activities to improve Australia’s national capacity to measure, monitor and manage its water resources. An investment strategy that outlines key areas for support under the programme has been agreed by the Prime Minister. Funding under the Raising National Water Standards Programme is already underway to complete a national baseline assessment of water resources which is a requirement of the National Water Initiative.
The Community Water Grants programme will invest $200 million over five years from 2005–06 to make a real difference in the way communities use our water resources through practical on-ground projects to save and protect water resources. Round one was announced in March 2006, with 1750 projects in place which will aim to: save 18,063 million litres through water efficiencies and reuse; rehabilitate 15,261 hectares of land for water quality improvement; and fence 1,826 kilometres of land to protect waterways.
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT’S COMMUNITY WATER GRANTS
Facing a local water crisis, Nimmitabel in NSW used their $45,000 grant to secure a water supply that will meet domestic needs without carting water from the nearby town of Cooma. By treating and reusing water, installing water tanks to public buildings and subsidising water efficient toilets and shower heads, the Nimmitabel community will reduce their water consumption by 24 per cent and save more than 4,120,000 litres of water per year.
The City of Bunbury in Western Australia is on the way to solving the problem of when is the best time to water their local parks and ovals. They are using their grant of $50,000 to install a weather station that communicates with the irrigation system at five local parks and ovals. The station adjusts irrigation times and settings according to the weather, saving over 50,000,000 litres of water each year, by watering more efficiently.
See: www.pmc.gov.au/nwi/; www.nrm.gov.au/water-fund; www.nwc.gov.au/; and www.mdbc.gov.au/
NATIONAL ACTION PLAN FOR SALINITY AND WATER QUALITY
The National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality aims to halt the spread of dryland salinity and improve water quality. During 2005–06 the integrated regional delivery of the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality and the Natural Heritage Trust (administered jointly by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Department of the Environment and Heritage) has achieved significant progress. All 21 National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality regions now have regional plans that have been accredited by the Australian and state governments. Investment under the plan has accelerated and total expenditure to 31 December 2005 has exceeded $352 million.
FOREST MANAGEMENT
The Australian Government continues to advance the sustainable use and management of Australia’s forest resources. The Department of the Environment and Heritage and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, in conjunction with the Tasmanian government will direct over $250 million towards the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement to strengthen the Tasmanian forest industry and environment.
PESTS AND WEEDS
The Australian Government continues its commitment towards the National Weeds Strategy for the eradication of Australia’s most threatening and invasive weeds. Weeds do significant damage to the environment, agricultural industries, and to the nation’s biodiversity. Management and control of weeds and associated production losses cost the agricultural industry around $4 billion each year. The Australian Government has committed $44.4 million through the Defeating the Weed Menace programme — from the Natural Heritage Trust — to target the nation’s most threatening weeds through research, biological control, and community awareness and action. The most effective weed strategy is prevention and early detection, and a priority list of Australia’s worst weeds is planned to be in place by 2007–08.
The new Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed between governments and industry, which came into force on 26 October 2005, will encourage early reporting of suspected plant pests, including exotic pests, increasing the chance of early detection and enabling a swifter response to incursions. These arrangements include the identification of exotic pest threats, contingency plans and emergency response arrangements to eradicate plant pests which, if established, could have a significant negative impact on native flora and fauna and the environment.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
The Australian Government has allocated over $31 million of Natural Heritage Trust funding to test the potential for and encourage the adoption of voluntary on-farm environmental management and environmental assurance systems. The Environmental Management System Incentives Programme, Environmental Management System National Pilots Programme and the Pathways to Industry Environmental Management System Programme are helping primary producers to secure a sustainable, profitable and competitive future through improved natural resource management and better recognition of farmers’ environmental credentials.
The Department of Defence’s $44.6 million projected contribution to environment-related activities in 2006–07 will support and promote the Environmental Management System. Works will include: water and energy management; pest and weed control; and, natural resource efficiency initiatives and projects.
MARKET BASED INSTRUMENTS PILOT PROGRAMME
The Australian Government has committed up to $5 million (over two rounds) to the National Market Based Instruments Pilot Programme, funded under the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality. This programme is the first time that states, territories and the Australian Government have worked together to examine market-based solutions to natural resource management issues. Results from the first round of the programme indicate that market based instruments, such as competitive tenders, can be a cost effective way of providing incentives to farmers to help address a wide range of environmental problems including water quality, biodiversity decline and salinity. Round two of the programme will commence in mid-2006.
FISHERIES
The Australian Government and the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (the Authority) will continue to fight illegal fishing and make sure our Commonwealth fisheries are ecologically sustainable. The $220 million Structural Adjustment Package is the largest structural adjustment package offered to the Australian fishing industry. It is designed to help secure Commonwealth fish stocks and a profitable future for the fishing industry. It is made up of three components: a range of new fishing management measures to address over-fishing and reduce impacts on the broader marine environment; implementation of new marine protected areas in the South-east Marine Park Region; and, the $220 million structural adjustment package to help ease the introduction of these measures and to provide a one-off opportunity to allow operators to exit the industry.
NATIONAL LANDCARE PROGRAMME
The National Landcare Programme seeks to increase the profitability, competitiveness and sustainability of Australian primary industries through improved management of natural resources. The primary mechanism used to achieve these aims is the provision of support to the landcare movement for on-ground projects. The landcare movement is a voluntary community group movement which aims to improve natural resource management. There are around 4,000 groups operating nationally involving 40 per cent of Australian farmers.
HEALTHY SOILS
The Australian Government will involve farmers and community groups in demonstrating the benefits of better management practices for soil health ($5 million over four years from the Natural Heritage Trust).
INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS
The Australian Government is committed to ensuring the full participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in ecologically sustainable development. This commitment is being made through programmes that provide for the identification, protection, preservation, and management of cultural property and areas of significance to Indigenous Australians.
For example, the Indigenous Land Corporation assists Indigenous Australians to acquire land and manage Indigenous-held land in a sustainable way to provide cultural, social, economic or environmental benefits for themselves and future generations. The Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs also delivers large-scale capital projects covering housing and related infrastructure, to improve environmental living conditions for Indigenous Australian communities, primarily in rural and remote locations.
INTERNATIONAL
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade leads Australia’s international engagement on a range of environmental issues and contributes diplomatic policy development and negotiating support to Australia’s international work on a range of other environment issues. In 2006–07, AusAID will provide an estimated $316 million for activities that address environmental problems in developing countries (around 13 per cent of overall AusAID expenditure).
Future assistance will focus on priority areas including engagement on AsiaPacific environmental issues in international fora. Australia will also support the work of multilateral agencies through activities such as the Global Environment Facility. The facility supports projects in developing countries in areas such as: biodiversity, water and land resource management, the ozone layer, and persistent organic pollutants. Australian assistance also contributes to the Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund to support initiatives that repair the ozone layer, and the United Nations Environment Programme to support sustainable development.
RESOURCE AND HERITAGE PROTECTION
The Australian Customs Service’s civil surveillance and response services at sea and land borders help the Department of the Environment and Heritage to combat the illegal export and import of wildlife. There will be a continuation of surveillance and enforcement capability of Australia’s Southern Oceans to protect Australian sovereignty and environmental values in Australia’s exclusive economic zone at Heard and McDonald Islands, and a continued operation of a sustainable Australian fishing industry.
The Department of Defence will work towards sustainable environmental management of the Defence estate through the ongoing implementation of its Defence Heritage Strategy and the ongoing development of Heritage Management Plans for Defence sites.
COMMUNITY INCENTIVES
The Australian Government provides incentives to encourage and support environmental sustainability in the community, including a requirement for Australian Government agencies to develop and implement environmental management systems across their activities, to encourage continuous improvement in the environmental performance of these agencies, and decrease resource and energy use.
A range of environmental taxation concessions and incentives are implemented by the Australian Taxation Office, such as: capital gains tax concessions for conservation covenants; deductions for expenditure on environmental impact statements, water conservation, and donations to registered environmental organisations; a tax offset facility for soil conservation; and, a levy on lubricating oils to fund recycling and reuse of these products.
INDUSTRY
Industry plays a vital role in achieving sustainable development. By working together with industry, both domestically and in international fora, the Australian Government coordinates its environmental agenda with the requirements of Australian industry.
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources has a continuing commitment of $100 million over seven years, through the Renewable Energy Development Initiative. This initiative provides grants to firms for the development and commercialisation of new products, processes and services in the renewable energy sector, with strong commercial as well as emissions reduction potential.
The Energy Efficiency Opportunities Assessment programme has funding of $16.9 million over five years to encourage the identification and uptake of commercial energy efficiency opportunities among Australia’s largest business energy users. Approximately 250 users account for 60 per cent of all business energy end use. Commencing in July 2006, large energy-using businesses in Australia will be required to undertake an energy efficiency opportunities assessment every five years and report publicly on the outcomes and their responses. The realisation of these energy efficiency opportunities will significantly improve economic productivity while reducing greenhouse emissions.
GREENHOUSE
The Australian Government has committed funding of $100 million over five years to the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate. The Partnership will explore ways to develop, deploy and transfer cleaner, more efficient technologies to address climate change, air pollution, energy security and sustainable development in an integrated manner.
Addressing human-induced climate change is a major issue for this century. The Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources will invest $10 million ($5 million in 2006–07 and $5 million 2009–10) as a contribution towards the construction of a new gas fired turbine generator at the Queensland Alumina Limited facility in Gladstone. This has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 2.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
Currently, electricity generation contributes over 35 per cent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions. The CSIRO will provide science and develop technologies to assist in the significant reduction of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The Department of Transport and Regional Services is developing guidelines to encourage the owners and operators of high-emitting heavy diesel vehicles to reduce exhaust emissions of particulates, smoke and smog-forming pollutants, through adoption of reasonable maintenance standards.
SCIENCE, RESEARCH AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
New knowledge, skills and technologies underpin sound environmental policy and on-ground solutions. Significant initiatives include:
- Continued analysis by the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics of potential economic and environmental impacts of policies on climate change, water resource management, and fisheries.
- Investment by the CSIRO of $280 million in continuing research on climate change, ecosystems, biodiversity and sustainable natural resource management, including improving the health of Australian rivers, estuaries and coastal environments. The Urban and Industrial Water programme will create the science platform for management of the Total Water Cycle of Australia’s urban and industrial environments. The diverse benefits of forest landscapes will be measurably protected and enhanced through effective risk management under the Forest Protection programme.
- Australia’s contribution of $3 million from 2005–06 to 2007–08 to membership of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Blue-fin Tuna and to the Commission’s scientific research programme. These funds will assist the Commission in ensuring the conservation and optimum utilisation of Southern Blue-fin Tuna.
- The National Land and Water Resources Audit is a National Heritage Trust funded programme ($7.5 million from 2006–07 to 2007–08) designed to coordinate natural resource information across Australia. It evaluates the extent and condition of natural resources such as soils, land use, wetlands and coastal areas.
- Land and Water Australia is a national organisation funded under the Natural Heritage Trust, dedicated solely to investing in and managing research and development to underpin sustainable resource use and management. $6.8 million will be invested in projects in 2006–07.
- Geoscience Australia’s critical role in producing first-class geoscientific information and knowledge in relation to environmental topics such as coastal and marine environment research mapping ($19 million from 2005–06 to 2009–10) which assists in Regional Marine Planning, establishment of Marine Protected Areas and the management of the Australian Marine Jurisdiction.
- Continued investment by the Australian Research Council for research relevant to ecologically sustainable development and environmental development.
WHALE RESEARCH
Whale research at the Australian Antarctic Division has continued to focus on the development and application of powerful, non-lethal approaches to better understand the role of whales in their ecosystem. Substantial progress has been achieved in three methodological categories:
Molecular techniques:
- Techniques have been successfully developed and applied to study the diet of whales from the remnant prey DNA found in whale faeces.
- New techniques are being developed to attempt to determine the age of whales from molecules in their chromosomes.
Novel technology:
- Sophisticated acoustic recorders have been developed and deployed that record whale sounds and can be used to assess whale presence and relative abundance.
- Micro-electronics and bio-compatible materials are being used to further develop satellite monitored location tags that can track whale movements over large scales.
Mathematical, statistical and computer modelling:
- Improved statistical models to determine the abundance and trends of whale populations measured from large scale ship surveys are being developed.
- New approaches to developing Southern Ocean ecosystem models, with a focus on whales, are being further developed.
- Powerful computer-based quantitative models are being developed to visualise, explore and analyse animal tracking data, such as that derived from whales, and integrate these data with other information from the Southern Ocean.
Further information on the environment-related programmes of various Australian Government portfolios can be found at their respective web sites which can be accessed through www.directory.gov.au.
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