Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No: 6  
Division/Agency:	Approvals and Wildlife
Topic:	Budget Appropriations
Hansard Page ECITA:	3 (16 Feb 07)

Senator Wong asked:
Senator WONG—What is the budget appropriation for environmental assessments?
Mr Early—For 2006-07, it is $13.8 million.
Senator WONG—And the actual expenditure to date?
Mr Early—I would have to take that on notice.
Senator WONG—What about for 2007-08? Dr O’Connell, while Mr Early is finding his place, I indicate to you that I will be asking similar questions in most of the divisions, so people might wish to prepare themselves accordingly.
Mr Early—$12.2 million.
Senator WONG—And for 2008-09 and 2009-10?
Mr Early—For 2008-09 it is $13.8 million and for 2009-2010 it is $13.6 million.
Senator WONG—You will give me the actual expenditure to date on notice? Can we do the same for wildlife protection.
Mr Early—Wildlife protection is $10.6 million for 2006-07.
Senator WONG—And on notice, unless you have it, could I have the expenditure to date as well.

Answer/s:
Expenditure to the end of February 2007 was $7.064m for environmental assessments and $4.968m for wildlife protection.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No:  7
Division/Agency:	Approvals and Wildlife
Topic:	Structure of Programme Outputs
Hansard Page ECITA:	3

Senator Wong asked:
Senator WONG—How long has this structure of output programs been in place for your division?
Mr Tucker—We adjusted our outcomes and output structures last year. I am trying to recall, though, whether it affected Mr Early’s division. I think we did adjust it for last year’s figures.
Senator WONG—By last year, do you mean 2005-06?
Mr Tucker—That is right.
Senator WONG—So these were applicable in 2005-06. Was this output structure for this division applicable in the 2005-06 year?
Mr Early—I would have to take it on notice to be absolutely sure.

Answer/s:
The current output structure has been in operation since 2006-07. In 2005-06 wildlife protection was under Output 1.2, Conservation of the land and inland waters.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No:  8
Division/Agency:	Approvals and Wildlife
Topic:	Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)
Hansard Page ECITA:	4 (16 Feb 07)

Senator Wong asked:
Senator WONG—Yes. Is there anything in the EPBC Act in relation to the impact of climate change?
Mr Early—Well, there is nothing specifically in the act, no.
Senator WONG—You mentioned earlier, Mr Early, that greenhouse gas emissions might only be relevant if they arise in the context of an EIS. Is that right?
Mr Early—Yes—well, in the context of assessing whether or not something needs approval, whether there is likely to be a significant impact on one of the other matters of an EIS.
Senator WONG—In relation to how many developments since 1996 does the department say that greenhouse gas emissions have been assessed or climate change impact has been assessed?
Mr Early—I would have to take that on notice.

Answer/s:
The department has received 2185 referrals since commencement of the EPBC Act to 22 March 2007. Where appropriate, greenhouse gas emissions or climate change impact have been assessed for each of these referrals. 

The department is unable to provide advice in relation to consideration of greenhouse emissions for developments prior to commencement of the EPBC Act.

Outcome:	1. Environment			Question No:  9
Division/Agency:	Approvals and Wildlife Division
Topic:	Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)
Hansard Page ECITA:	6

Senator Wong asked:
Senator WONG—Have you been asked to provide advice to government regarding the possibility of a climate change trigger in the act?
Mr Early—Yes, we have provided advice in the past.
Senator WONG—When was that advice sought?
Mr Early—Senator Hill, you may recall, actually had a greenhouse trigger regulation drafted and had consultation with the states and territories. We were certainly heavily involved in that process.
Senator WONG—Remind me of the date of that.
Mr Early—I would have to take that on notice. I think it was probably around 2002.
Senator WONG—Subsequent to that, has any further advice been sought?
Mr Early—We have looked at it from time to time and it has been sought, yes.
Senator WONG—I would like to know the approximate dates when such advice was sought and provided.
You would have to take that on notice?
Mr Early—Yes. 

Answer/s:
During 1999 and 2000 the then Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Senator Robert Hill, released a number of reports on possible application of a greenhouse trigger under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). These included:
•	a consultation paper ‘Possible Application of a greenhouse Trigger under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, dated December 1999,
•	a media release of 5 May 2000 releasing a proposed technical design for a greenhouse trigger under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and
•	a draft greenhouse trigger regulation and a related discussion paper, released on 16 November 2000.

These papers and reports provided the basis for ongoing and subsequent discussion with the States and Territories. During this period the Department provided advice to government on the possibility of a greenhouse trigger under the EPBC Act as well as detailed advice on the reports noted above and the State and Territory responses to the consultation.

Since that time, the Department has provided advice to the Environment Minister at various times when the possibility of a greenhouse trigger has been discussed – for example, when the Opposition introduced the Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change (Climate Change Trigger) Bill 2005 into Parliament in September 2005 and when some public submissions proposed the inclusion of a climate change trigger in the EPBC Act during the review of matters of national environmental significance in early 2006.