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OVERVIEW OF GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT
IN MANAGEMENT
OF NATURAL RESOURCES
AND THE ENVIRONMENT
URL: http://www.spatialgovernance.com/governance/resources/652lec01.htm
© John S. Cook - Created on 5 July 2004
Last modified
05/04/11 11:01
Australian EST
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INTRODUCTION |
Influences on Management
The roles that various governments have in the management of natural
resources and the environment derives from three main influences:
 | a human need to exploit resources |
| a need to control the distribution of resources and
avoid human conflict |
| a need to address ecological degradation that
threatens the capacity of the natural environment to support human
population |
Australia's System of Government
Australia's system of government took effect
on 1 January 1901 with the federation of six former colonial
governments. These colonies ceded some of their former legislative
authority to a newly formed Commonwealth Government as set out in
s.51
of the Australian Constitution. The general tenor of the federal compact
was to cede to the Commonwealth those legislative responsibilities that
went beyond the borders of a single colony. Matters deemed to be
interstate or international in character included defence, foreign
affairs and trade, immigration, and transport and communications going
beyond a colonial border.
On federation, the former colonies became known as
States of the Commonwealth following the Constitution at
s.6. However, some areas that were within State borders became
Commonwealth territories. The State of New South Wales ceded the area now known as Australian Capital Territory in
1909; and the State of South Australia ceded the area now known as the
Northern Territory in 1908. Under
s.122,
the Commonwealth acquired an exclusive right to
govern in those territories that were formally ceded and accepted.
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International and
Intergovernmental Relations
Some issues concerning the environment are global in character and
require responses by the Commonwealth Government under its external
affairs head of power. The Commonwealth responses may have an effect of
imposing obligations that require mutual legislative responses by the
States, Territories and local governments if Australia as a whole is to
meet its international obligations. A Council of Australian Governments
(COAG) has evolved to deal at the highest levels with issues that
require coordinated mutual responses by governments in Australia.Summary
The important distinction between States and Territories under
Australia's system is that the States were former colonies that ceded
some - but not all - of their legislative authority to a Commonwealth
Parliament. In contrast, the Commonwealth acquired all of the legislative
authority to govern in the Territories. The Commonwealth has delegated
responsibility to Territory governments that have similarities with the
States. Thus, the principal difference between Sate and Territory
governments is that the States have constitutions that derive from
former associations with the Imperial Parliament in Britain whereas the
Territories have constitutions that derive from the Australian
Parliament.
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OVERVIEW OF QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT ARRANGEMENTS |
Departments Involved
with Resource Management
The principal Queensland Government departments charged with
administration of matters related to natural resources and the
environment are:
| Department of Natural Resources, Energy and Mines |
| Environmental Protection Agency |
| Department of Primary Industries |
| Department of Local Government and Planning
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Since most activities in commerce and government involve the use of
resources, dealings in resources have an inter-connectedness in some
way or other across most government departments. Accordingly, the
Department of the Premier
and Cabinet has a role in coordinating the Government's legislative
programme and the administration performed by separate Departments. The
Premier's Department identifies
Environment and Resources Policy as a special area requiring
a strategic overview and coordination across Queensland Government
Departments. |
Identifying Specific
Departmental Responsibilities
An Administrative Arrangements Order by Queensland's Governor-in-Council
sets out the general areas of responsibility and the Acts of
Parliament to be administered by the separate Departments of the
Queensland Government. In addition, the Ministers who are responsible for the separate departments
are appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Premier.
Ministerial reshuffles may necessitate changes to the Administrative
Arrangements Order.
Departmental Arrangements within Departments
The
Freedom of Information Act 1992 at
s.18 requires that each government department and agency prepare a
Statement of Affairs and make this statement available to the public.
This statement can provide - as indeed the Act intends - a useful
overview of the activities of the department or agency concerned.
In addition to the Statement of Affairs
required under the
Freedom of Information Act 1992, most
departments make their annual reports and other corporate documents available via the Internet.
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QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTAL
RESPONSIBILITIES |
Overview
This analysis tries to identify Queensland Government activities related
to management of natural resources and the environment. In many
instances, classifying activities as related to natural resources and
environment is somewhat arbitrary because they tend to overlap with
economic development issues related to use of natural resources.
Department of the Premier and
Cabinet
Administrative Reform | Co-ordination of Government Administration |
Co-ordination of Policy Development |
Treasury Department
Economic Performance and Analysis | Government Statistics | State
Taxation |
Department of State Development
and Innovation
Communication and Information Industry Development | Economic
Development Planning | Industry Development | Innovation | Major
Development Project Facilitation | Regional Development | Research and
Development Coordination | State Development |
Department of Transport
Air Services | Land Transport and Safety | Maritime | Railways |
Transport Infrastructure | Roads |
Department of Primary Industries
and Fisheries
Agricultural Chemicals | Animal Welfare | Commercial Forestry | Control
of State Plantation Forests excluding the land | Fisheries Resource
Management | Food and Fibre Production | Food Processing and Value
Adding Development | Forestry Industry Development | Plant and Animal
Diseases | Primary Industry Research, Development and Extension |
Private Forestry | Quarry Sales under the Forestry Act 1959 | |
Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy
Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander matters including Land Interests,
Land Titles and
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Cultural Heritage | Commercial Water Services | Explosives | Gas Health
and Safety | Geological Survey | Land including
Allocation, Management and Use of
State Land; Compulsory
Acquisition;
Information; Land
Protection; Land Titles;
Surveying and Mapping
and Valuations | Mineral
Resources impacts on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander interests |
Minerals | Mining Health and Safety | Mining Titles | Native Title |
Natural Resource Management including
Catchment Management and
Water Resource Management but
excluding Land
Conservation and Native
Forest Management | Petroleum Health and Safety | Petroleum Titles |
Pipeline Licences | Place Names | Selling allocation of State quarry
material under the Water Act 2000 |Recreation including
Natural Resource Recreation and
Education | Registration of Valuers and Surveyors | Royalties | Access
to Natural Gas Pipelines, Distribution and Retail of Reticulated Fuel
Gas, and Sufficiency of Supply of Fuel Gas and Liquid Fuel | Electricity
| Energy |
Environmental Protection Agency
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Land Interests | Coastal
Management | Contaminated Land | Custody and Management of State Forests
| Ecologically Sustainable Development | Environment including
Management of Mining |
Environmental Planning | Historical Cultural Heritage | Land
Conservation | Marine Parks Management | Native Forest Management |
Nature Conservation | Pollution Management | Waste Management | Water
Recycling Strategy | Wet Tropics Management
Department of Local Government,
Planning, Sport and Recreation
Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Infrastructure | Land Use Planning | Local
Government, including Aboriginal and Island Councils | |
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OVERVIEW OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT
ARRANGEMENTS |
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AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT
DEPARTMENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES |
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Department of the Prime
Minister and Cabinet
The Prime Minister's Department has a
coordinating role across the Australian Government. The Prime Minister
has an additional coordinating role in intergovernmental
relationships between Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments
within the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). The COAG
protocols are particularly important when Australia's obligations with
other countries require mutual legislative responses and actions
across Commonwealth, State, Territory and local governments.
Department of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Forestry
Agricultural, pastoral, fishing, food and forest industries | Water,
soils, and other natural resources | Rural adjustment and drought
issues | Rural industries inspection and quarantine | Primary
industries research including economic research | Commodity marketing,
including export promotion and agribusiness | Commodity-specific
international organisations and activities | Administration of
international commodity agreements | Administration of export controls
on agricultural, fisheries and forestry industries products | Food
policy, processing and exports |
Department of Environment and
Heritage
Environment protection and conservation of biodiversity | Air quality
| National fuel quality standards | Land contamination | Meteorology |
Administration of the Australian Antarctic Territory, and the
Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands | Natural, built and
movable cultural heritage | Greenhouse policy coordination | |
Department of Industry,
Tourism and Resources
Manufacturing and commerce including industry and market development |
Industry innovation policy and technology diffusion | Promotion of
industrial research and development, and commercialisation | Mineral
and energy industries, including oil and gas, and electricity |
National energy market | Energy-specific international organisations
and activities | Administration of export controls on energy products
| Biotechnology, excluding gene technology regulation | Export
services | Energy and resources science and research | Marketing,
including export promotion, of manufactures and services | Investment
promotion, attraction and facilitation | Enterprise improvement |
Tourism industry | Construction industry | Small business policy and
implementation Business entry point management | Facilitation of the
development of service industries generally | Bounties on the
production of goods | Patents of inventions and designs, and trade
marks | Country of origin labelling | Weights and measures standards |
Civil space issues | Analytical laboratory services | Geoscience
research and information services including geodesy, mapping, remote
sensing and land information co-ordination | Ionospheric prediction |
Attorney General's Department
Native Title
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COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS
AND
RESOURCE AND ENVIRONMENT ISSUES |
Role of COAG in
Management of Natural Resources and the Environment
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) deals with high level
policy issues across Commonwealth, State, Territory and local
governments, especially when mutually supportive legislation and
administration is required to provide effective management across the
whole of government.An example of action by
COAG is the
Intergovernmental
Agreement on the Environment entered into on 1 May 1992 by the Commonwealth, States, Territories and representatives
of local government. This Agreement affirmed the roles and
responsibilities of various levels of government and the principles to
be followed in decisions affecting the environment. |
National Strategies
The Commonwealth, States and Territories participate in the development
and implementation of a number of strategies that relate to management
of natural resources and the environment. These strategies include:
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MINISTERIAL COUNCILS AND
INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEES |
Role of Ministerial
Councils
A number of natural resource and environment issues involve the Commonwealth as well as one or more of
the State and Territory Governments but in an area where a departmental
rather than whole of government response is appropriate. Also, some
issues extend to include New Zealand while others may include other
nations in the region - especially South Pacific nations.
The titles of the ministerial councils usually give some
indication of their relevance to natural resource and environment
issues. This applies especially to areas listed under the international
World Heritage Convention where Australia has
sixteen sites on
the World Heritage List. |
Intergovernmental Committees
Ministerial Councils obtain advice and support
through auspices of a number of intergovernmental technical committees.
Some of these Committees having relevance to management of natural
resources and environment include:
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