Annual Report 2002-2003 National Environment Protection Council
Tabled paper 1225
Tabled Papers for 9th Assembly 2001 - 2005; Tabled Papers; ParliamentNT
2004-02-26
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https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/284157
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/409123
Queensland Report to the NEPC on the implementation o f the National Environment Protection (National Pollutant Inventory) Measure fo r Queensland by the Hon Dean Wells MP, M inister fo r Environment fo r the reporting year ended 30 June 2003 PART 1 - GENERAL INFORMATION________ (Refer to page 94) PART 2 - IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEPM, AND ANY SIGNIFICANT ISSU ES Legislative, reg u la to ry an d adm in is tra t iv e f ra m ew o rk In Queensland, the NPI NEPM is implemented under the Environmental Protection Act 1994. Specifically, changes were made to the Environmental Protection Regulation 1998 in September 1999 to include a new section for statutory implementation o f the NPI. Additional changes were made on 1 July 2000 to reflect the change to the NEPM (36 to 90 substances) and to incorporate clause 26 o f the NEPM (legal status o f data supplied - previously omitted). The Regulation provides for penalties of up to $ 1 500 for non-compliance with a reporting requirement and/or naming o f the non-complier in the NEPC annual report (this report). Responsibility for implementation o f the NEPM rests with the Environmental Protection Agency. The NPI is implemented by the Sustainability Benchmarking and Reporting Team which is part o f the Systems and Communications Unit in the Sustainable Industries Division. The equivalent o f 2.7 full-time staff were involved in implementation activities. Im p le m e n ta t io n activit ies Overview The implementation o f the NPI NEPM continued to be the responsibility o f the Sustainable Industries Division which is focused on beyond compliance or triple-bottom -line sustainability S tra teg ic directions W ithin the Sustainable Industries Division of the Environmental Protection Agency, NPI plays a valuable role in encouraging industries in Queensland to build NPI reporting into more comprehensive voluntary environmental/sustainability reporting and adopt sustainable practices within the framework of the Business Sustainability Roadmap adopted by the Environmental Protection and Heritage Council. Im plem entation The Memorandum o f Understanding (MOU) between Queensland and the Commonwealth entered its second year in 2003 and will run until 30 June 2004, unless extended. Under this MOU, both Queensland and the Commonwealth commit to jointly fund the NPI program, each contributing $150 0 0 0 per year. Implementation o f the NPI NEPM in Queensland was carried out in accordance with the agreed elements o f the MOU and the requirements o f the EP Regulation, whilst working within a framework o f encouraging environmental sustainability. The five member Sustainability Benchmarking and Reporting Team used the NPI NEPM in 2002-03 as the basis o f an integrated approach to facilitate collection and interpretation o f sustainability indicators for each o f the destinations in the Business Sustainability Roadmap and to provide the information and tools to assist industry to move towards sustainability. Implementation o f the NPI NEPM was a m ajor focus with a commitment o f over ha lf o f the team s total time and resource. The main focus for implementation in 2002-03 was the extension o f reporting to the full 90 substances and increasing the understanding and use o f the electronic National Reporting Tool (NRT). Special emphasis was placed on recruiting new reporters in the agribusiness sector as a result o f the inclusion of ammonia. A targeted reporting strategy for Intensive B eef Cattle Feedlots and Pig Farms was implemented resulting in a high number o f enquiries and a substantial increase in reporters. Nine public awareness seminars/workshops were held in Brisbane (2), Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and Toowoomba. N a tio n a l E n v iro n m e n t P ro te c tio n C o u n c il a n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 0 2 - 2 0 0 3 105