Disclosure log

[Item 1] Briefs produced between 1 April 2018 and the date of this letter that have been prepared by, sent from, or received by the Minister and staff within the Department of the Environment, and the Threatened Species Scientific Committee, in relation to the 2018 Preliminary Priority Assessment List and the Finalised Priority Assessment List.

[Item 2] The Minutes of the Threatened Species Scientific Committee meeting(s) held to determine the 2018 Preliminary Priority Assessment List, including but not limited to associated appendices, annexures, supplementary attachments or tables.

[Item 3] The 2018 Preliminary Priority Assessment List.

•  Drafts of Hunter subregion bioregional assessment Chapter 3-4 “Impact and risk analysis for the Hunter subregion,” since January 2018;
•  Internal emails and meeting notes concerning preliminary or final drafts of Hunter subregion bioregional assessment Chapter 3-4 “Impact and risk analysis for the Hunter subregion,” since January 2018.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, I request access to any emails, briefing documents, and other communication documents prepared by the department regarding assessing the $443 million grant to the Great Barrier Reef foundation as announced in April this year.

I request access to all correspondence dated 20 August to 10 October 2018 in relation to Australia’s current and projected greenhouse gas emissions between the Department of the Environment and Energy and the office of the Minister for Environment.

Specifically, correspondence includes emails, briefings and minutes between the Department and the Ministers’ office.

I request access to all correspondence dated 20 August to 10 October 2018 in relation to the release of ‘the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change special report on global warming of 1.5 degrees’ between the Department of the Environment and Energy and the office of the Minister for Environment.

Specifically, correspondence includes emails, briefings and minutes between the Department and the Ministers’ office.

1. In relation to the areas of land over which Whitehaven Coal Limited and/or Aston Coal 2 Pty Ltd (the Proponent) has secured legally binding covenants for the purpose of fulfilling the offset requirements under Conditions 9-13 of the Approval given under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) for the Maules Creek Coal Mine Project (EPBC 2010/5566) (the Offset Requirements):

• a copy of the latest iteration of any maps held by the Commonwealth Department of the Environment that identify the ‘offset areas’ (as defined in EPBC 2010/5566) that have been secured; and, either
• a copy of any other information that forms part of or is attached to an agreement between the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and/or NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, and the Proponent, that has been entered into for the purpose of fulfilling the Offset Requirements, that indicates the location and/or dimension of the ‘offset areas’ (as defined in EPBC 2010/5566); or
• all written correspondence (being emails or letters) that was created between 7 February 2018 and 10 October 2018 that indicates the location and/or dimensions and/or boundaries and/or areas of the ‘offset areas’ that have been secured (as defined in EPBC 2010/5566).

Note: This request (i.e the request at paragraph 1) is restricted to documents dated and/or created between 7 February 2018 and 10 October 2018.

Or

2. In the event that Whitehaven Coal Limited and/or Aston Coal 2 Pty Ltd (the Proponent) has not yet secured legally binding covenants over some or all of the ‘offset areas’ required for the purpose of fulfilling the offset requirements under Conditions 9-13 of the Approval given under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) for the Maules Creek Coal Mine Project (EPBC 2010/5566) :

• a copy of the latest iteration of any maps held by the Commonwealth Department of the Environment that identify the areas of land over which the Proponent intends and/or proposes to register legally binding covenants pursuant to Conditions 9-13 of the abovementioned Approval; and
• All written correspondence (being emails or letters) that was created between 7 February 2018 and [the date of the FOI Application] that indicates the location and/or dimensions and/or boundaries and/or areas of the proposed ‘offset areas’ (as defined in EPBC 2010/5566) being the land over which the Proponent intends and/or proposes to register legally binding covenants pursuant to Conditions 9-13 of the abovementioned Approval

Note: This request (i.e the request at paragraph 2) is restricted to documents dated and/or created between 7 February 2018 and 10 October 2018

I seek any advice provided to the Government in the past three years on the names for features in the Australian Antarctic Territory and the Territory of Heard Island and the McDonald Islands.

The request includes any recommendations or advice provided from July 1, 2015 until reciept of this email

I also seek a list of the members of the Australian Antarctic Division Place Names Committee during that period including time served.

[Item 1]          The following documents, to the extent that they were created in the course of assessing and making a decision on the referral EPBC 2018/8177 (Halls Island Standing Camp, Lake Malbena, Tasmania):

(a) The decision brief for the decision on the referral, including any attached advice
(b) The advice of the National Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council
(c) Any advice provided to the Department that assesses the action’s impact on the wilderness character of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (if not attached to the decision)
(d) All correspondence between the Department and the proponent, excluding any communication that concerns the logistics of organising travel or is otherwise of a purely administrative nature (with no substantive content related to the decision);
(e) All correspondence between the Department and any officer of the Tasmanian Government, excluding any communication that concerns the logistics of organising travel or is otherwise of a purely administrative nature (with no substantive content related to the decision);

[Item 2]          All correspondence between the Department and the World Heritage Centre and its expert advisors, the IUCN and ICOMOS, that were authored from 1 September 2016 to present and that relate to:
(a) the management of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area;
(b) the 2016 management plan; and
(c) the Retrospective statement outstanding universal value.

The content of each of the public comments received by the DoEE that were made to the WILD DRAKE PTY LTD/Tourism and Recreation/Halls Island/Tasmania/Halls Island Standing Camp, Lake Malbena proposal (that was referred to the EPBC).

This request includes any subsequent public comments received as a result of the ‘stop clock’ or ‘paused’ process and the provision of further information by the proponent.

This request specifically relates to the content within each of the public comments received from 29/3/18 to 31/8/18 for reference number 2018/8177.

This request does not ask for personal details associated with the comments, just the content of each of the comments.

Any record the department of environment holds describing disclosures of interests made by Margie McKenzie in relation to her membership of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.