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Department overview | |
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Formed | 18 September 2013 [1] |
Preceding Department | |
Dissolved | 19 July 2016 |
Superseding agency | |
Type | Department |
Jurisdiction | Commonwealth of Australia |
Headquarters | John Gorton Building, King Edward Terrace, Parkes ACT 2600, Canberra, Australia |
Motto | "to protect and conserve Australia's environment and heritage" |
Annual budget | $460 million in 2013–14 [2] |
Minister responsible | |
Department executive | |
Website | www |
Footnotes | |
[3] |
The Australian Department of the Environment was a department of the Government of Australia that existed between September 2013 and July 2016. The department was charged with responsibility for developing and implementing national policy, programs and legislation to protect and conserve Australia's environment and heritage. [4]
The department was an Australian Public Service Department of State in the environment portfolio, under the Public Service Act 1999. [5]
The head of the department was its Secretary, Dr Gordon de Brouwer PSM , [3] responsible to the Minister for the Environment, the Hon. Josh Frydenberg MP .
The department was formed by way of an Administrative Arrangements Order issued on 18 September 2013. [6] It absorbed the responsibilities of the former Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (DSWEPaC) [7] and climate change from the former Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education. [8] [9] [10] [11]
The department was dissolved in July 2016 and its functions, along with energy policy functions, were moved to the newly established Department of the Environment and Energy. [12] [13] [14]
From when it was established in September 2013 to when it was dissolved in July 2016 the department faced significant cuts (25 per cent cut from the organisation's budget over four years), in line with the Coalition Government's environmental deregulation policies. [15]
The stated aims of the department were to achieve the protection and conservation of the environment; to ensure that Australia benefits from meteorological and related sciences and services; and to see that Australia's interests in Antarctica are advanced. The department developed and implemented national policy, programs and legislation to protect and conserve Australia's environment and heritage.
The functions of the department were broadly classified into the following matters: [6]
The department managed a number of major programs. The most significant of those dealing with natural resource management came under the umbrella of the Natural Heritage Trust and the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality. Both the Trust and National Action Plan were administered jointly with the Department of Agriculture.
Divisions of the department included the Australian Antarctic Division, Supervising Scientist Division, Heritage Division, Parks Australia, Policy and Communications, Australian Wildlife, Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, Australian Land and Coasts plus a number of executive agencies and statutory authorities.
The Department of the Environment administered environmental laws, including the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and a range of other Acts. [6] It was also responsible for Australia's participation in a number of international environmental agreements.
The department administered areas of the Coral Sea Islands, [16] Heard Island and the McDonald Islands, [17] and oversees certain policy areas in Norfolk Island [18] and Christmas Island. [19]
Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair damage and reverse trends.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the department of the Australian federal government responsible for foreign policy and relations, international aid, consular services and trade and investment.
The New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH), a former division of the Government of New South Wales between April 2011 and July 2019, was responsible for the care and protection of the environment and heritage, which includes the natural environment, Aboriginal country, culture and heritage, and built heritage in New South Wales, Australia. Until its abolition in 2019, the OEH supported the community, business and government in protecting, strengthening and making the most of a healthy environment and economy within the state. The OEH was part of the Department of Planning and Environment cluster and managed national parks and reserves.
The Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIICSRTE) was a department of the Australian Government charged with further developing growth in Australian industries and advancements in science and research.
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) is an Australian Government public service central department of state with broad ranging responsibilities, primary of which is for intergovernmental and whole of government policy coordination and assisting the prime minister of Australia in managing the Cabinet of Australia. The PM&C was established in 1971 and traces its origins back to the Prime Minister's Department established in 1911.
The Australian environment ranges from virtually pristine Antarctic territory and rainforests to degraded industrial areas of major cities. Forty distinct ecoregions have been identified across the Australian mainland and islands.
The Australian Minister for the Environment is The Hon. Sussan Ley MP since May 2019. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced in August 2018 that the Environment and Energy portfolios would be separated in the Cabinet reshuffle. Melissa Price was appointed as Minister of the Environment, and Angus Taylor was appointed as Minister for Energy on 28 August 2018, by the Governor-General.
Climate change in Australia has been a critical issue since the beginning of the 21st century. Australia is becoming hotter, and more prone to extreme heat, bushfires, droughts, floods and longer fire seasons because of climate change. Since the beginning of the 20th century Australia has experienced an increase of nearly 1 °C in average annual temperatures, with warming occurring at twice the rate over the past 50 years than in the previous 50 years. Recent climate events such as extremely high temperatures and widespread drought have focused government and public attention on the impacts of climate change in Australia. Rainfall in southwestern Australia has decreased by 10–20% since the 1970s, while southeastern Australia has also experienced a moderate decline since the 1990s. Rainfall is expected to become heavier and more infrequent, as well as more common in summer rather than in winter. Water sources in the southeastern areas of Australia have depleted due to increasing population in urban areas coupled with persistent prolonged drought.
The Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism was an Australian Government department. It was formed in December 2007 and dissolved on 18 September 2013. The majority of its functions were assumed by the Department of Industry; with the exception of tourism functions that were assumed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The Honorable Angus Taylor MP has served as the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction since August 2018.It is a federal ministerial portfolio responsible for the coordination and implementation of sustainable energy policies by the Australian Government. These policy areas include the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, the promotion of energy efficiency, as well as adaptations to climate change within domestic and international contexts.
Ross Gregory Garnaut is an Australian economist, currently serving as a vice-chancellor's fellow and professorial fellow of economics at the University of Melbourne. He is the author of numerous publications in scholarly journals on international economics, public finance and economic development, particularly in relation to East Asia and the Southwest Pacific.
An Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) is a class of protected area used in Australia; each is formed by agreement with Indigenous Australians, and declared by Indigenous Australians. Each is formally recognised by the Australian Government as being part of its National Reserve System, with 75 IPAs comprising more than 44% of the national reserve land, occupying about 67,000,000 hectares as of April 2020.
Australian Convict Sites is a World Heritage property consisting of 11 remnant penal sites originally built within the British Empire during the 18th and 19th centuries on fertile Australian coastal strips at Sydney, Tasmania, Norfolk Island, and Fremantle; now representing "...the best surviving examples of large-scale convict transportation and the colonial expansion of European powers through the presence and labour of convicts."
The Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport was an Australian government department. It was formed in December 2011, absorbing the former Department of Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government along with Arts and Sport functions from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The department was abolished in September 2013 with its functions moved to other Australian Government departments.
The Gibraltar Falls are a cascade waterfall on the Gibraltar Creek, in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), approximately 50 kilometres from Canberra's city centre, The falls have a 50-metre (160-foot) drop.
The Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities was an Australian government department that existed between September 2010 and September 2013.
Blair Robert Comley is an economist. He is a former Secretary of the New South Wales Government Department of Premier and Cabinet, replaced by a new Secretary upon the election of the current Premier of NSW, The Hon Gladys Berejiklian.
Finn Axel Pratt is a senior Australian public servant. He is currently Secretary of the Department of the Environment and Energy.
The Department of the Environment and Energy (DEE) was an Australian government department in existence between 2016 and 2020.
Director of National Parks is a government-owned corporation of the Australian government responsible for the management of a portfolio of terrestrial and marine protected areas proclaimed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The agency is a corporation sole.