Question On Notice No. 721 asked in the Legislative Council on 10 May 2022 by Hon Dr Brad Pettitt
Question Directed to the: Minister for Emergency Services representing the Minister for Environment
Parliament: 41 Session: 1
Tabled Paper No: 1336-
View tabled paper
Question
I refer to the Minister
for Environment’s response on 9 December 2021 to question on notice 369, in
which it is stated that the Threatened Ecological Communities Scientific
Committee met eight times between 13 February 2018 and 10 June 2021, but “The Threatened Ecological Communities Scientific
Committee has not considered formal nominations for assessment, so has not
provided advice for the listing of threatened ecological communities under the
Biodiversity Conservation Act to the Minister", and I ask:
(a) does the Minister acknowledge that two of the
functions of the Threatened Ecological Communities Committee is to provide
advice to the Minister on the listings of threatened and collapsed ecological
committees, and to provide advice to the Director General of the Department of
Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions in respect to research and
management needs:
(i) if no to (a), why not;
(b) will the Minister provide copies of records or
minutes of the eight meetings between February 2018 to June 2021:
(i) if no to (b), why not;
(c) has the Threatened Ecological Communities
Scientific Committee provided any correspondence to the Department of
Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions between 1 January 2016 to 8 March
2022, and on what dates, and/or to the Minister for Environment between 1
January 2016 to 8 March 2022, and on what dates:
(i) if yes to (c), will the Minister table this
correspondence; and
(ii) if no to (c)(i), why not;
(d) has the Director General of the Department of
Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions corresponded with the Threatened
Ecological Communities Scientific Committee between 1 July 2016 to 8 March 2022:
(i) if yes to (d), will the Minister table
copies of this correspondence; and
(ii) if no to (d)(i), why not; and
(e) has the Executive Director of Science and
Conservation in the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
corresponded with the Threatened Ecological Communities Scientific Committee
between 1 July 2016 to 8 March 2022:
(i) if yes to (e), will the Minister table copies
of this correspondence; and
(ii) if no to (e)(i), why not?
Answered on 14 June 2022
(a) Yes, noting that the second role explicitly refers to “research and management needs arising from the reviews of threatened ecological communities”, as specified in Ministerial Guideline Number 1 Procedures for Making and Assessing Public Nominations for Listing Species or Communities as Threatened Species or Threatened Ecological Communities, and for Listing Key Threatening Processes.
(i) Not applicable.
(b) No.
(i) The Minutes of meetings of the Threatened Ecological Communities Scientific Committee (TECSC) during the specified period, contain the TECSC’s deliberations on the criteria for listing and available evidence in respect of the threatened ecological communities (TECs) referred to in Environmental Protection (Sensitive Areas) Notice 2015. The minutes do not include the committee’s final recommendations about TEC nominations, which will be made following the outcomes of public consultation being available.
(c) Yes. A letter from the Chair of the TECSC (Advice to the Minister for Environment from the Threatened Ecological Communities Scientific Committee concerning listing of Threatened and Collapsed Ecological Communities), dated 4 June 2019 was included in Ministerial correspondence on 28 June 2019.
(i) Yes. See tabled paper no. XXXX
(d) No.
(i) Not applicable.
(ii) Not applicable.
(e) No.
(i) Not applicable.
(ii) Not applicable.