Budget 2009–10: Climate change, energy and the environment
Environment
Louise Emmett and Bill
McCormick
Caring for our Country
National Heritage
National Parks
Commonwealth Environment Research
Facilities Program
Caring for our Country
The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the
Arts (DEWHA) Portfolio Budget Statements 2009–10 includes a budget measure
indicating that there has been a reallocation of $32.4 million over each
of the next four years. This was not included in Budget Paper No. 2 because this is a reclassification of administered funding under Caring for our
Country to the departmental expenses of DEWHA ($25.3 million) and the
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry ($7.1 million),
amounting to a total of $129.6 million over four years. Such a transfer of
a significant amount of funding is relatively rare and there have to be very
good reasons for making the transfer.
(2) Amounts relating to these measures reflect a
reclassification of administered funding under Caring for our Country to DEWHA
departmental expenses. Funding will continue to be spent on core departmental
activities and administration of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999, as it was when it was previously part of Caring for
our Country. Under this reclassification, $7.1 million per annum will also be
appropriated to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. These
measures do not appear in Budget Paper No. 2.[1]
Under the reclassification, $12.9 million per annum is
allocated to DEWHA core funding and $12.4 million per annum allocated to
activities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation
Act (1999). These activities have previously been delivered through these
two departmental areas within DEWHA but were paid for from the Natural Heritage
Trust funds until the end of 2007–08 and Caring for our Country funds through
2008–09.
National Heritage
Starting in 2010–11, the provision of $5 million per
year for three years for the protection and conservation of historic built
properties on the National and Commonwealth Heritage Lists will fill the gap
left by the cessation of a similar program, the National Heritage Investment
Initiative (NHII) this financial year. The NHII was a $10.5 million
competitive grants program that ran from 2005–06 through 2008–09. However due
to limited funding there were no funding rounds in 2008–09.[2]
The gap in funding between the last round of the NHII in
2007–08 and the start of National and Commonwealth historic built heritage program
in 2010–11 will be partly filled in 2009–10 by $6 million from the
Government’s Jobs Fund for the conservation of National–listed and Commonwealth–listed
historic built heritage sites.[3]
National Parks
Management of Commonwealth terrestrial reserves will be provided
with an additional $26.0 million over four years (including capital
funding of $5.5 million over two years). These reserves include Booderee
National Park, Christmas Island National Park, Kakadu National Park, Norfolk
Island National Park, Pulu (Keeling) National Park and Uluru–Kata Tjuta
National Park. Funding will be used for purposes such as to remove or treat
asbestos in a number of park buildings, manage historic sites in Kakadu
National Park, and to upgrade assets in Commonwealth parks and reserves.[4] The measure aims to create job opportunities, enhance the quality of Commonwealth
parks and help build sustainable long–term growth in remote Australia for
nature–based tourism markets.[5]
There will also be a continuation of the supplementary funding
of $7.6 million over four years to the Director of National Parks specifically
for Kakadu National Park. This supplementation was initiated to compensate park
management for the loss of revenue from the abolition of park entry fees in
December 2004.[6] In October 2008 Environment Minister Peter Garrett
accepted the recommendation of the Director of National Parks to reinstate park
use fees in Kakadu National Park from 1 April 2010,
with a full exemption for Northern Territorians. The fees are expected to
generate $4.5 million in net revenue from the 85 per cent of
visitors who travel from interstate or overseas. Traditional owners of Kakadu
National Park will receive 38.8 per cent of the fee revenue.[7] The supplementary
funding will cover the cost of the ongoing fee exemption for Northern
Territorians and will be targeted to protect biodiversity, control weeds and
feral animals and manage visitor facilities.[8]
Over the next five years $69 million is being made
available under the Working for Country program to create 210 new environmental
jobs for Indigenous rangers in remote and regional Australia.[9] The initiative will
provide funding for 100 Indigenous rangers, as well as 60 flexible part–time or
seasonal positions, and 50 trainee positions.[10] While some funding details for this commitment are given ($16.8 million
over four years) in the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
Portfolio Budget Statements 2009–10,[11] the remainder is included with a much larger funding total under the Closing
the Gap program in the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and
Indigenous Affairs.[12]
Commonwealth Environment
Research Facilities Program
Savings of $10 million over three years are to be
redirected from the Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities (CERF) Program
to offset measures in the DEWHA portfolio.[13] CERF was a five year $100 million program established in 2005–06 of which
$40 million was provided for a Marine and Tropical Sciences Research
Facility and the remaining $60 million used to fund additional
environmental research, to be allocated nationally on a competitive tender
basis in rounds in July 2006 and July 2008.[14]
To date, $56.5 million of the $60 million of the
Nation–wide research component has been allocated.[15] However it is not clear how much of the $40 million funding for the Marine
and Tropical Sciences Research Facility has been allocated.
The savings from the CERF program will be over the three
year period from 2011–12 through 2012–13. Although it was originally a five
year program, DEWHA has advised that the Howard Government decided to change
the program to ongoing funding. It is not clear what the level of remaining ongoing
funding for the program will be over the next four years.
[1]. Australian Government, Portfolio
budget statements 2009–10: budget related paper no.1.6: Environment,
Water, Heritage and the Arts Portfolio, Commonwealth of Australia,
Canberra, 2009, p. 30, viewed 20 May 2009, http://www.environment.gov.au/about/publications/budget/2009/pbs/pubs/pbs-2009-10.pdf.
[2]. Department of
the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, ‘National Heritage Investment
Initiative’ viewed 14 May 2009, http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/programs/nhii/index.html
[3]. Australian Government, ‘Part
2: Expense measures’, Budget measures: budget paper no.2: 2009–2010,
Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, 2009, p 191, viewed 20 May 2009, http://www.aph.gov.au/budget/2009-10/content/bp2/download/bp_2.pdf
[4]. Budget measures: budget paper no.2: 2009–2010, p. 195.
[5]. P Garrett (Minister for
Environment, Heritage and the Arts), $74.9 million for heritage projects to
support local jobs, media release, Canberra, 12 May 2009, viewed
15 May 2009, http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/garrett/2009/budmr20090512c.html
[6]. G Hunt (Parliamentary
Secretary to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage) and D Tollner, Kakadu free from December 20 2004, media release, 2 December 2004,
viewed 19 May 2009, http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22media%2Fpressrel%2F0XLE6%22
[7]. P Garrett (Minister for the
Environment, Heritage and the Arts), Kakadu fees in 2010, media release,
30 October 2008, viewed 19 May 2009, http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22media%2Fpressrel%2F6EZR6%22
[8]. P Garrett (Minister for the
Environment, Heritage and the Arts), More than $33 million in new funding
for national parks, media release, 12 May 2009, viewed
19 May 2009, http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/garrett/2009/budmr20090512c.html
[9]. W Snowdon, (Minister for
Defence Science and Personnel), Federal budget delivers on the NT
environment, media release, Canberra, 12 May 2009, viewed
15 May 2009, http://www.warrensnowdon.com/media/090512b.htm
[10]. P Garrett (Minister for the
Environment, Heritage and the Arts), $69 million for more indigenous rangers
working on country, media release, 12 May 2009, viewed
19 May 2009, http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/garrett/2009/budmr20090512e.html
[11]. Portfolio budget statements
2009–10: budget related paper no.1.6: Environment, Water, Heritage and
the Arts Portfolio, p 25.
[12]. Budget measures: budget paper no.2: 2009–2010, p. 211.
[13]. Budget measures: budget paper no.2: 2009–2010, p. 194.
[14]. Australian Government, ‘Part
2: Expense measures’, Budget measures: budget paper no.2: 2005–2006,
Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, 2005, p. 151, viewed
20 May 2009, http://www.budget.gov.au/2005-06/bp2/download/bp2.pdf
[15]. Department of the Environment,
Water, Heritage and the Arts, ‘Nation–wide research’ ,viewed 20 May 2009, http://www.environment.gov.au/programs/cerf/research.html
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