Ms O’CONNOR – Minister, recommendation 1 of the State of the Environment Report which I, for the purposes of the public record, would remind anyone who is up this late watching that the government missed two statutory deadlines to deliver, recommendation 1 is to develop a long-term vision and strategy for Tasmania’s environment. Are you committed to that and is there work being undertaken on that?
Ms OGILVIE – We have done that. I do have some information pertaining to the State of the Environment Report. I do understand the energy around this topic. We did commit to providing a response to the State of the Environment Report before the end of 2024. That is what we did. The response to the report identified four key priorities based on report recommendations, the first of which was develop a long-term vision and strategy for Tasmania’s environment, develop an environmental data strategy – very important – focus on securing covenants and other effective conservation measures through the private land conservation program to deliver greater protection for underrepresented ecosystems, improve native vegetation mapping and information and in a manner that is carefully planned and mindful of the current fiscal constraints.
We are progressing, scoping and planning this priority work to ensure that resources are used efficiently, opportunities for partnering are identified and outcomes are delivered effectively. I would also like to acknowledge the important role of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania in coordinating the preparation of the government’s response to the State of the Environment Report, and in supporting the commission by contributing data, reviewing reports for 17 of the environmental indicators and preparing a case study and other feedback.
Whilst this report is the responsibility for the minister for Housing and Planning, the continuous improvement ethos for protecting Tasmania’s environment is a responsibility that spans multiple portfolios, governments, industries and communities. The government’s responses to the 2024 State of the Environment Report and Tasmania’s first Climate Change Risk Assessment, along with the threatened species and various sustainability strategies being developed form a substantial platform for investment and action to secure Tasmania’s future social, economic and environmental wellbeing. Government priority number one, vision and strategy for Tasmania’s environment.
I won’t repeat a lot of what I’ve just said, but we are developing a state sustainability strategy, which will encompass social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability, builds on existing policies we have in place across portfolios such as rural water use strategy, climate change action plan, waste and resource recovery strategy, and a new Tasmanian threatened species strategy, which is great.
We are participating of course in national and cross jurisdiction, ministerial and senior officers groups, working with reference groups to support collaboration and learning across environment, water, circular economy, climate change and threatened species and the three regional Tasmanian natural resource management bodies – NRMs people will be familiar with them – which develop and implement their own regional NRM strategies, will be important partners in the development of an environment strategy for Tasmania and other actions to respond to the State of Environment Report.
These organisations have expressed strong interest in working with the government on action in response to the State of Environment Report and the $2.4 million funding boost to the three regional NRMs in the 2024 budget will ensure these organisations have the capacity to do so.
Ms O’CONNOR – When should we expect to see the Tasmanian government’s long‑term vision and strategy for the environment? And will it include – as is recommended in the State of the Environment Report two‑yearly progress reports to the Tasmanian parliament?
Ms OGILVIE – Do you have timelines you could share?
Mr JACOBI – No we don’t have a timeline at the moment. We’ve begun engagement with the three NRM groups. But I would expect that we would have a landing on an overall vision and strategy within the next 12 months.
Ms OGILVIE – That’s good.
Ms O’CONNOR – Can I ask in terms of natural values –
CHAIR – Just one more because we have to go to the other line items. We’ve got analytical services and threatened species.
Ms OGILVIE – Threatened species is important.
Ms O’CONNOR – Yes, so important you’ve defunded the Orange-bellied Parrot Program in the out years, but anyway, we will get to that.
In terms of the other recommendations of the State of the Environment Report: tapping into Aboriginal knowledge and values, developing an environmental data strategy and contemporising the resource management planning scheme objectives and legislation, establishing more marine protected areas. Are any of these on the government’s radar?
Ms OGILVIE – Happy for Jason to say something of course, but I am very excited about the Marine Environment Act and that work that we are doing, that picks up a range of important matters that were spoken of in that document that is absolutely on our agenda. I’m working with Mr Garland well on that. I can say that it is a priority of mine to land that. Jason may have some other information in relation to the other elements you’ve mentioned.
Ms O’CONNOR – Well they’re political questions and not for the secretary of the department. Has the government committed to those other recommendations?
Ms OGILVIE – Okay, sure. The marine environment act is a prime example and look, I’m prioritising that. It’s a good thing to do and overdue to have the dialogue. It won’t be simple or easy, but it’s something you need to do as an island state that houses the Blue Economy CRC, that has IMAS, it has our research scientists. We are a seafaring nation, a nation state – I feel like sometimes we are a separate nation.
That for me, is from a political perspective one of the key things we ought to be delivering in this great contemporisation of environmental laws, that I do understand is due to a lot of the organic nature of the way our environmental laws have developed over time. There is a moment where we do need to have a look at the overarching framework and say what can we do better? What can we do in a more contemporary way? What is a good series of reforms that make sense? The marine environment act is one of those. Jason has just also reminded me regarding the state of the environment, that environmental data strategy is important as well. We have been doing some work on that, investing in that.
Mr JACOBI – Some very exciting work is being as a consequence of the rural use strategy. We’re starting to get some real traction with integrating all of the data from water health and river quality across all the different agencies – Hydro, Tasmanian Irrigation, the departments in the water monitoring program, and the EPA. There’s also some really exciting work being done around the Natural Values Atlas.
Ms O’CONNOR – I do have a question about natural values management. Is that where the Natural Values Atlas sits? In expenses by portfolio, you’re saying about $4 million being spent on natural values management over the next four years. All of that natural values management is under the minister for primary industries?
Mr JACOBI – The Natural Values Atlas work that’s being done by Jo’s team?
Ms O’CONNOR – Where does that sit? The Natural Values Atlas work, The TASVEG work as well.
Ms WILSON – That, technically, could be said to sit under the PIW portfolio, but the Natural Values Atlas covers, for example, the recent OBP tracking data. It’s one of those functions in our environment business unit that might be allocated because of the admin orders around legislation. It might sit in one or the other, but really some of these functions actually serve a number of portfolios. Absolutely, the primary industry water, general wildlife management, natural values management, as well as threatened species – it’s a bit hard to sort of split them exactly like that.
