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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 2 Hansard (2 March) . . Page.. 489 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

Reports. The first Australian Capital Region State of the Environment Report was released in 1997. This report received national and international recognition. The next regional report is due at the end of this year. Mr Speaker, regional reports are non-statutory, but they need to align with the statutory obligation of New South Wales local government authorities to prepare State of the Environment Reports in November every fourth year. As the New South Wales and ACT reporting deadlines do not align naturally for most reporting periods, this current year being the exception, this Bill proposes that the ACT reporting date be set separately for each post-reporting period after the year 2000.

Under this Bill, the next ACT State of the Environment Report would be due in November 2000. For subsequent reports, the commissioner would be required, within 12 months of presenting a State of the Environment Report, to make a recommendation on the due date of the next report. The Minister would then decide the length of the reporting period, and the due date for the report, by disallowable instrument.

While the Bill will give the flexibility to balance the competing reporting cycles of the ACT and the Australian capital region state of the environment reporting, it also protects against abuse of the power to move reporting timeframes. Specifically, the commissioner's recommendation to the Minister must be tabled; the reporting period must be no longer than four years; the report itself is due between three and six months after the close of the reporting period; and the Minister's decision is disallowable by the Assembly.

Despite its small size, the ACT has set the standards in a number of aspects of environmental management. In the field of environmental reporting we remain the only Australian jurisdiction with a Commissioner for the Environment and a State of the Environment Report that is guaranteed to be independent. The Australian Capital Region State of the Environment Report has received national and international recognition. The commissioner has received Federal funding to develop the Australian Capital Region State of the Environment Report as a national model for regional reporting.

The commissioner has sought these amendments to help him further his leading-edge work, and the Government supports him in this. Once passed, this Bill will allow future ACT State of the Environment Reports to be prepared at a time that is optimal for both the ACT and the Australian capital region. I commend the Bill to the Assembly.

Debate (on motion by Mr Corbell )adjourned.

MS TUCKER (11.18): I move:

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