Senate Estimates: Environment and Communications Committee (Murray-Darling Basin Authority)

Environment and Communications Legislation Committee
18/11/2013
Estimates
ENVIRONMENT PORTFOLIO
Murray-Darling Basin Authority

Senator RHIANNON: In regard to a question Senator Waters asked about the National Partnership Agreement, on page 6, paper 1-the estimated Commonwealth financial contributions-are they still correct or have they been altered?
Ms Nethercott-Watson : The National Partnership Agreement payments have not been altered.
Senator RHIANNON: Under this agreement are there any specific projects pertaining to coal and CSG developments that have been prioritised, and if so could you tell us which ones they are.
Ms Nethercott-Watson : I am a little bit unsure of your question. In terms of the National Partnership Agreement, the arrangements involve the states signing up to a protocol to enable them to seek advice from the Independent Expert Scientific Committee. That protocol is in place for the four states. They are enabling them to ask for direct advice. I regard to our advice function through the Independent Expert Scientific Committee, so far we have had 26 requests to date-12 Queensland and 14 New South Wales projects-and in terms of regulators who have asked for advice in terms of classifying those 26, we have had 21 requests for advice from the Commonwealth, two direct from Queensland and three joint requests from Queensland and the Commonwealth. Is that what you were asking about?

Senator RHIANNON: That is very useful. I was just wondering if you could give more detail so that we are able to understand what is linked with coal and with CSG.
Ms Nethercott-Watson : Of those 26, there were 21 coal mine and five coal-seam gas proposed development activities.

Senator RHIANNON: How much has been spent on the individual assessment of these projects, and are there any projects with assessments that are still outstanding?
Ms Nethercott-Watson : In terms of trying to answer the question you are asking, the actual assessment documentation is provided by the proponent and then the state regulator and, depending on the circumstances, maybe the Commonwealth regulator, has a look at that documentation. The Independent Expert Scientific Committee responds to requests from the regulators on those specific developments. So in terms of the cost of the Independent Expert Scientific Committee, we do not delineate the cost of the advice provided by a project.

Senator RHIANNON: Senator Waters asked some questions to do with the EPC threatened ecological communities in Macquarie Marshes. I just want to check this one about how many listing criteria their listings meet and how does this compare with other threatened ecological community listings. That was taken on notice, but I was not sure, and we were both interested to check that it was taken on notice.
Mr Knudson : Yes.

Senator RHIANNON: With regard to that, I was interested in how the listings affect the livelihoods of those depending on these rivers and marshes-the graziers, the farmers and the people with vineyards. Has that work been done?
Mr Knudson : I go back to my previous comments. Obviously I will check with my colleagues in the wildlife and heritage marine division and provide any further information, if there is any. But my understanding is that the most significant impact of having a listing of a threatened ecological community is that that further facilitates the taking into account the ecological assets associated with that community when environmental assessments are being undertaken for individual projects. So in that sense it advances our ability to ensure that the ecological integrity of that community is protected and that by inference would support various livelihoods associated with that. But that is not the primary purpose of the environmental assessment. That would be a subsequent impact.

Senator RHIANNON: In the New South Wales key threatened process on long-wall mining I was trying to assess if it is considered anywhere in the processes established by the National Partnership Agreement, especially given that this KETP recognises coal long-wall mining as draining waterways and impacting on those hanging swamps and other unique habitats. Does it interact with the agreement?
Ms Nethercott-Watson : In terms of the advice that is provided by the Independent Expert Scientific Community, it does rely on the questions asked by the regulator. But, in particular, for proposals that involve long-wall mining, those impacts in regard to water related resources often question the impacts. The advice that the committee provides is made public in the context of the regulator's decision and it can be traced through in terms of what the committee may have offered in terms of impacts from long-wall mining.
CHAIR: Thank you.