Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister representing the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, upon notice, on 20 November 2012:

With reference to approvals for land clearing in major cities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act):

(1) Can a map and table be provided for each major city identifying the location and type of vegetation where clearing has been approved under the EPBC Act since 2000, using the following headings:

(a) name and details of project;

(b) location of development;

(c) vegetation type and ecological community impacted, and their declared status under the EPBC Act;

(d) area cleared, in both hectares and as a percentage of the total remaining habitat and vegetation of equivalent or better quality;

(e) dates/times when the land was cleared and when the offset was secured, including a description of the offset detailing its size, vegetation type, ecological community, tenure and management status prior to becoming an offset;

(f) location of the offset, including its distance from the original site and, if applicable, the name of the site;

(g) current management, tenure and protection status of the offset; and

(h) description of steps taken by the department to ensure the establishment and/or adequate maintenance of the site, including dates on which reports have been received by the proponent on the status of the offset (if required), and dates and details of any audits undertaken by the department relating to the establishment and/or maintenance of the offset.

Can a list of all approvals refused under the EPBC Act since 2000 be provided, indicating the proportion this represents against the total number of applications.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) Given the broad scope of the first question placed on notice, I consider that the preparation of answers to the first question placed on notice would involve a significant diversion of resources and, in the circumstances, I do not consider the additional work that would be required can be justified.

Information regarding the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (the department) offset policy can be found on the department's website. The department has recently developed an offsets mapping tool which will allow future offsets to be entered into a spatial database to improve data available for decision-making, monitoring and compliance.

Since 2000 there have been approximately 3661 decisions made on proposed actions referred under the EPBC Act. The following proposed actions have been deemed either clearly unacceptable or not approved:

Decision on referral / Clearly unacceptable

Decision on approval of action: Not approved