Page 3513 - Week 12 - Thursday, 19 September 1991
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damage incurred by any person who reports the discovery of an unregistered Aboriginal place or object; and the restriction of information about the location and nature of an Aboriginal place or object, in appropriate circumstances.
Part 4 of the Bill deals with environmental assessments and inquiries. Under this part, the Minister may require a proponent, at his or her cost, to prepare a preliminary assessment of the environmental impact of a proposal. A preliminary assessment, again at the proponent's cost, will be mandatory for certain prescribed classes of activity defined in the Territory Plan. Copies of preliminary assessments are to be made available for public inspection. If the preliminary assessment shows a significant environmental impact, the Minister may require the preparation of a public environment report or environmental impact statement. This is prepared in consultation with the public and at the proponent's cost.
As previously outlined, the Minister will have responsibility for selecting a consultant to undertake an assessment. These selections will be made against criteria identified in regulations, and the Minister may seek nominations from the proponent. At any point in the preliminary or full environmental assessment process, the Minister may require a round table conference involving the proponent and any person with an interest which could be directly affected by the proposal. Such conferences would aim to identify ways to modify the proposal in order to reduce or eliminate any potential adverse environmental impact. Reports on these meetings, including proposed actions, will be made available to all participants.
Other provisions in this part of the Bill relate to the tabling in the Assembly of environmental reports and the Minister's assessment of those reports, and to the establishment of procedures for the conduct of public inquiries. (Extension of time granted) There is a fair way to go yet.
Part 5 of the Bill relates to land administration. This important part of the Bill replaces many separate pieces of legislation and introduces leasing processes which are open and subject to scrutiny by the community, the Government and the Assembly. The Bill specifies the circumstances under which a lease of Territory land may be granted, these being: Auction, calling tenders for the grant of the lease, conducting a ballot for the right to the grant of the lease, or the direct grant to an applicant for a lease. The direct grant of a lease will be made against criteria which are subject to disallowance by the Assembly, and copies of leases issued under a direct grant must be tabled in the Legislative Assembly within five sitting days of being granted.
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