About the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts

Australian and New Zealand Environment Conservation Council (ANZECC)

• What was ANZECC?
• ANZECC strategies and publications
• National Water Quality Management Strategy
• Guidelines for contaminated sites
• ANZECC communiqués

What was ANZECC?

The Australian and New Zealand Environment Conservation Council (ANZECC) was a Ministerial Council that operated between 1991 and 2001. ANZECC provided a forum for member governments to develop coordinated policies about national and international environment and conservation issues.

ANZECC was replaced in 2001:

• natural resource management matters were moved to the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (NRMMC)
• environment protection matters were moved to the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC)

ANZECC strategies and publications

Some of the strategies and publications ANZECC produced are still current:

• ANZECC’s natural resource management publications
• ANZECC’s environment protection publications
• ANZECC meeting communiqués from 1997 to 2001
• ANZECC Reports

National Water Quality Management Strategy

The National Water Quality Management Strategy (NWQMS) was developed by ANZECC. The strategy is now jointly managed by the NRMMC and the EPHC. Information about the strategy can be found at:

• NWQMS guideline documents
• Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry (DAFF) NWQMS
• Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts NWQMS

Guidelines for contaminated sites

Technical guidelines for contaminated sites developed jointly by ANZECC and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) were replaced in 1999 by the Assessment of site contamination NEPM.