Page 4237 - Week 13 - Thursday, 27 November 2014
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
area that was strengthened considerably through the consultative drafting process over the past year.
Some of the conservator’s roles include preparing a biodiversity research and monitoring program every two years, and importantly this is done in consultation with the scientific committee and can include the work of the hardworking citizen science groups such as the Canberra ornithologists group, who maintain the most up-to-date bird count data in the territory, and Frogwatch and like organisations. The conservator also decides licensing applications, prepares and implements action plans, native species conservation plans, controlled native species management plans and Ramsar wetland management plans.
The Flora and Fauna Committee has been renamed the Scientific Committee. This has been seen to be watering it down by some, removing the focus on flora and fauna. However, the committee is still clearly there to provide advice on nature conservation, not only to the minister. The Scientific Committee’s role has been expanded to also provide advice to the conservator. The committee used to only require two out of seven members to not be public servants, whereas the new committee will need to be a majority of non public servants. The bill also allows the minister to establish other advisory committees as necessary.
The bill establishes the ACT Parks and Conservation Service. I know it will be pleased that this bill officially introduces it as the custodian of unleased or public land that is a reserve, which is completely missing from the legislation at the moment.
It should be noted that the nature conservation strategy must include native indigenous species, significant ecosystems and strategies to address actual and potential impacts of climate change. Our current legislation only allows for threatened and endangered species, endangered ecological communities and threatening processes. This bill creates more categories for threatened native species. There are seven, and there are now four categories of threatened ecological communities as well as threatening processes. This bill clearly steps through the various categories of species, communities and rules for eligibility, nominations, listings and amendments.
A new category for provisional listings for threatened native species has been introduced, which means that after 18 months the minister, conservator and scientific committee must review the species listing. If a species or community is placed on one of these abovementioned lists then an action plan must be created for that item. This bill significantly improves the requirements for an action plan and its drafting and consultation processes. Importantly, the conservator must take reasonable steps to implement the plan and must monitor and review its effectiveness and make the findings public. The conservator must review each action plan every five years, and the Scientific Committee must review it at least every 10 years.
This bill creates additional categories for certain species: special protection status and protected native species. Special protection status is created automatically and includes species listed as threatened native species under the bill, and listed threatened species and listed migratory species under the EPBC act. Thus any species that come under national listings are also automatically on the ACT lists too.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video