One of the essential components of any environmental assessment is to provide information regarding the presence or likely presence of threatened flora and fauna on or near the study area. It is an expected item within any report presented to Read more…
Following the assent of the Nature Conservation (Protected Plants) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2013 on the 29 October 2013, the new requirement for permits for clearing of threatened plants and the processes for assessment under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 have been clarified. The new process is discussed in this article.
As part of the planning reform for Queensland, the government has proposed new environmental offset legislation and a single offsets policy. The primary objective of the Environmental Offsets Act 2014 is to counterbalance the significant residual impacts of ‘prescribed activities’ on ‘prescribed environmental matters’ through the use of environmental offsets. This article discusses the key changes in the new policy and potential implications.
The SPP is the document set to guide development in Queensland into the future through its influence on local planning schemes, regional plans and designation of community infrastructure. The release of the SPP demarcates a fundamental shift in State policy from ‘sustainability’ to ‘prosperity’. This article discusses how the changes will affect the assessment of biodiversity values.
The Australian government has proposed a new Queensland Draft Bilateral Agreement that once implemented will accredit the State’s development assessment processes for assessment of Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES). This article discusses the proposed changes and the possible positive and negative outcomes.
On 2 December 2013 the Vegetation Management Framework Amendment Regulation 2013 (VMFR 2013) came into effect with the release of the new mapping, assessment codes and policies. This article aims to discuss some of the most important changes contained within Stage 2 – Vegetation Management Framework amendments and compare them to the preceded system.
SARA is part of the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning (DSDIP) and becomes the ‘one stop shop’ for development assessments involving one or multiple State departments. The Queensland Government is also proposing a single State Planning Policy (SPP) that will represent all the State’s interests in planning and development in Queensland. This article explores the development and implications of the ‘one-stop shop’.
On 20 March 2013, the Minister for Natural Resources and Mines introduced the Vegetation Management Framework Amendment Bill 2013 to the Queensland State Parliament to amend the existing vegetation management framework, reduce red tape and regulatory burden on stakeholders, and maintain the protection and management of Queensland’s native vegetation resources. This article will explore the key changes of the new system.
Recently the Queensland Government made a decision to change the way that the State will deal with threatened plant management. These changes are due to commence in 2014 (subject to the Nature Conservation (Protected Plants) and other Legislation Amendment Bill 2013 being passed by parliament) and will mean that there are fewer permits and fewer instances in which permits are required to take, harvest or trade protected plants. This article will provide an overview of the review process undertaken by the Queensland Government in making this decision and the outcomes for the Protected Plants Framework.