Standing Committee on Ecologically Sustainable Development (1997 - 2001)

Legislative Council

Title & summary	Status
No inquiries

Report No	Title	Date tabled	Related documents
9	The Quality of Perth's Water Supply	23 Nov 2000
8	2000 National Conference of Parliamentary Public Works and Environment Committees	5 Sep 2000
7	The Conservation and Land Management Amendment Bill 1999 & the Forest Products Bill 1999	20 Jun 2000
6	The Management and Sustainability of the Western Rock Lobster	23 May 2000	More...
5	1999 National Conference of Parliamentary Public Works and Environment Committees	16 Dec 1999
4	Management of and Planning for the Use of State Forests in Western Australia - The Sustainability of Current Logging Practices	16 Dec 1999
3	National Conferences of Public Works & Environment Committees Sydney 27, 28 & 29 July 1998	10 Nov 1998
2	Report in relation to Management of and Planning for the Use of State Forests in Western Australia: The Regional Forest Agreement Process	27 Aug 1998
1	Report in relation to the Environmental Protection Amendment Bill 1997	29 Apr 1998

Title & summary	Status
Salinity in Western Australia	Past
Uranium Mining at Kintyre	Past

Title & summary	Status
No proceedings

Committee members

Chairman:	Hon. Dr Christine (Chrissy) Sharp MLC
Deputy Chairman:	Hon. Norm Kelly MLC
Members:	Mr Dexter Davies MLC Mr Graham Giffard MLC Mr Greg Smith MLC
Staff:	Ms Anne Turner, B.Juris LLB (Advisory Officer) Mr David Driscoll (Committee Clerk)

Terms of Reference

Committee terms of reference

1.	A Standing Committee on Ecologically Sustainable Development is established.
2.	The committee consists of 5 members.
3.	The functions of the committee are to inquire into and report to the House on:

	(a)	any matter in Western Australia concerning or relating to the planning for or management, use or development of natural resources and the environment having particular regard to demographic, economic, ecological, technological and lifestyle and settlement factors and concerns; and
	(b)	any Bill or matter referred to it by the House.

History and purpose of the committee

The ESD Committee can undertake an inquiry into any matter relating to planning or the environment in Western Australia. The concept of ESD, which gave the Committee its title, was adopted as a goal by Australian governments, including Western Australia, in 1992 following the Earth Summit in Rio. ESD is a philosophy defined by the National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development as "development which aims to meet the needs of Australians today while conserving our ecosystems for the benefit of future generations." Broadly speaking, the Committee aims to report on how well developments in Western Australia accord with this philosophy .

The Committee has been inquiring into environmental matters and their management for nearly four years. During that time the Committee's primary focus has been forest management. Other inquiries included a review of the western rock lobster fishery and Perth's water quality. The Committee currently has a number of inquiries in progress including uranium mining and the salinity crisis. A proposed topic for future consideration is the illegal trade in native flora and fauna.