Submissions

Recent changes to Development (Regulated Trees) Amendment Act 2009 has changed the definition of a significant tree from a circumference of 2m at 1m from the ground to 3m. The Conservation Council of SA provided comment on the changs to the legislation and now provides comment on the Development Plan Amendments. We are concerned that the new rules will  cause the unnecessary destruction of significant trees. Read the submission here.

To read a copy of the Conservation Council of SA submission on the Economic Regulation of the South Australian Water Industry ‐ Draft Advice, please click here.

The Conservation Council of SA submitted comments on the State Opposition Discussion Paper - Developing a Better South Australia. The discussion paper asked for input on the SA planning system, the Conservation Council expressed our beliefe that the current planning system is failing to meet the needs and expectation of the SA community and requires reform. We outline some areas where reform could be implemented in the submission. Download the submission here.

The State Government released a Green Paper on a Housing Strategy for South Australia, to read our comments please click here.

We recently submitted comments on the Discussion Paper: Living Heritage Vision 175 pulbished by the National Trust SA. You can read our comments here.

The Conservation Council submitted its comments about the impacts Minda Master Plan on coastal dune environments and commended the association for recognising the environmental and social significance of the sand dunes. Read the submission here.

The Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry released the Consultation Regulation Impact Statement for the Proposed Australian Biofouling Management Requirements. The Conservation Council attended one of the stakeholder meetings held in cities around Australia. We also submitted comments on the proposed requirements; download the comments here.

CCSA response to the draft State NRM Plan. CCSA commends the NRM Council on the style and quality of the document which is strategic in nature and should provide a clear guide for the regional NRM plans that will subsequently be developed. CCSA has offered a number of suggestions for improvement of the document which are based on extensive feedback received from member groups and take the form of eleven overarching proposals, plus more detailed comments in an attachment to this letter.

These include:

Proposal 1: the plan needs to spell out what is to be achieved and who is responsible for driving tor those outcomes.

Proposal 2: there is a need for a call to action.

Proposal 3: the plan needs to incorporate or refer to a funding and investment strategy. 

Proposal 4: the Plan needs to provide "anchorage" for other partners' investments

Proposal 5: The Plan would be more robust if it embraced the notion of ecosystem services.

Proposal 6: the Plan would be improved with a greater emphasis on innovation.

Proposal 7: the Plan could be improved with a stronger focus on what is envisaged by community and how the community ideally interacts with the Plan.

Proposal 8: the Plan would benefit from discussion on learnings from the previous Plan.

Proposal 9: the Plan should acknowledge the role of mining over the period of the Plan.

Proposal 10: the Plan needs to have a solid scientific foundation.

Proposal 11: the Plan would benefit from greater clarity on the statutory responsibilities inherent in the NRM system - particularly those of the Regional Boards.

For further information contact Jill Woodlands, CCSA NRM Facilitator - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Federal Government released a Consultation Paper on the Statutory Definition of Charities. All the Conservation Council of Australia signed onto this submission calling for wider recognition of all environmental issues and the allowance of politacal adovcacy in achieving an enviromental purpose. The submission can be downloaded here.

The signatories to this submission include

Conservation Council ACT (ConsACT), Conservation Council of Western Australia (CCWA), Environment Centre Northern Territory (Environment Centre NT), Environment Tasmania (ET), Environment Victoria (EV), Nature Conservation Council NSW (NCC), Queensland Conservation Council (QCC).

The groups of Councils in the Brownhill Keswick Creek Catchment put out thei Draft Stormwater Management Plan for comment. The Conservation Council submitted comments on the plan opposing the recommended strategy.