30 April 2012 - Environment
Minister, Tony Burke, has today announced
Australia's most at-risk koala populations
need to be included on the national list
of threatened species.
Minister Burke has decided to list koala
populations in Queensland, New South Wales
and the Australian Capital Territory as
vulnerable under national environment law.
"Koalas are an iconic Australian animal
and they hold a special place in the community,"
Mr Burke said.
"People have made it very clear to
me that they want to make sure the koala
is protected for future generations.
"My decision to list the koala under
national environment law follows a rigorous
scientific assessment by the Threatened
Species Scientific Committee which gathered
information from a variety of experts over
the past three years.
"Koala populations are under serious
threat from habitat loss and urban expansion,
as well as vehicle strikes, dog attacks,
and disease.
"However, koala numbers vary significantly
across the country, so while koala populations
are clearly declining in some areas, there
are large, stable or even increasing populations
in other areas.
"In fact, in some areas in Victoria
and South Australia, koalas are eating themselves
out of suitable foraging habitat and their
numbers need to be managed.
"But the Queensland, New South Wales
and Australian Capital Territory koala populations
are very clearly in trouble, so we must
take action.
"That is why the scientific committee
recommended to me to list the Queensland,
New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory
populations as threatened, rather than to
list the koala as nationally threatened
across its full range."
Mr Burke said the Gillard Government had
committed $300,000 of new funding under
the National Environmental Research Program
Emerging Priorities to find out more about
koala habitat.
"This funding will be used to develop
new survey methods that will improve our
knowledge of the quality of koala habitat
using remote sensing, and help fill important
data gaps to enhance our understanding and
ability to protect the species," Mr
Burke said.
"The new funding is in addition to
more than $3 million we have invested since
2007 to ensure the resilience and sustainability
of our koala population."
+ More
New weather bureau radar
for south-east Tasmania
27 April 2012 - Tasmania’s
new state-of-the-art Doppler weather radar
will provide coverage to large sections
of the state for the first time.
Senator Don Farrell, Parliamentary Secretary
for Sustainability and Urban Water, today
officially launched the Bureau of Meteorology’s
new Hobart Mt Koonya radar, located on the
Tasman Peninsula south-east of Hobart.
“This radar, at more
than 36 metres high, is the tallest anywhere
in Australia and is a very important addition
to the Bureau’s national radar network,”
Senator Farrell said.
“It significantly improves the Bureau’s
weather observation capability in Tasmania
and its ability to warn the community about
the potential impact of severe weather.
The Hobart Mt Koonya radar will cover all
of south-east Tasmania, extending the Bureau’s
radar coverage to the west coast, north-east
and Central Plateau, which links up with
coverage provided by the West Takone radar
in the north-west of the state.
“The $48 million Strategic Radar Enhancement
Project – funded through the 2009/10 Federal
Budget – has delivered new weather radars
for Wollongong and Hobart, with radars at
Mount Isa, in Queensland, and Warruwi, in
the Northern Territory, to follow over the
next year.”
Federal Member for Lyons, the Hon Dick Adams
MP, said the Hobart Mt Koonya radar’s Doppler
capability means detailed wind information
can be provided in addition to rainfall,
enhancing the Bureau’s capability in forecasting
extreme weather events in the state.
“The new radar will make it easier for communities
to track Tasmania’s ever changing weather
through the Bureau’s website and public
forecasts, which will make planning weather-sensitive
events and functions much easier – no one
likes a wet picnic!”, Mr Adams said.
Labor Senator for Tasmania, the Hon Carol
Brown, said the radar will provide accurate
and timely information about severe weather
events such as fire, strong winds and heavy
rainfall.
“That information will help people to better
prepare for severe weather events at a community
level and across industries including the
agricultural, maritime and recreational
sectors,” Senator Carol Brown said.
Labor Senator for Tasmania, the Hon Catryna
Bilyk, said the new radar would provide
significantly more detailed wind and rainfall
information across the south-east of the
state.
“The location of the radar and its extra-tall
tower were designed to enable it to look
out over our State’s iconic forests and
mountains,” Senator Bilyk said.
Radars send out radio waves that reflect
particles in the atmosphere such as raindrops,
hailstones or snowflakes. Measuring the
characteristics of the reflected radio waves
allows meteorologists to monitor the development
and movement of showers, thunderstorms,
cold fronts and rainbands.
+ More
Third approved arrangement
announced for National Television and Computer
Recycling Scheme
4 April 2012 - Parliamentary
Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water,
Senator Don Farrell, today announced that
E-Cycle Solutions Pty Ltd is able to deliver
services under the National Television and
Computer Recycling Scheme.
“The National Television and Computer Recycling
Scheme is an Australian Government initiative
that will provide householders and small
businesses with access to free recycling
of televisions and computers,” Senator Farrell
said.
“It will boost the recycling rate for these
products and provide a long-term solution
to television and computer waste.”
“E-Cycle Solutions joins
Australia and New Zealand Recycling Platform
(ANZRP) and DHL Supply Chain as an administrator
of an approved co-regulatory arrangement,
able to sign up television and computer
manufacturers and importers and collect
and recycle products on their behalf.”
A variety of providers will give television
and computer manufacturers and importers
choice about which arrangement they join
and , equally importantly, is expected to
lead to more options for Australians in
terms of how they disposes of unwanted televisions
and computers.
Senator Farrell said E-Cycle Solutions Pty
Ltd is part of the QLS Logistics Group and
has been established specifically to be
the administrator of a co-regulatory arrangement
under the scheme.
“E-Cycle Solutions’ business model differs
from the existing approved co-regulatory
arrangements and clearly demonstrates the
success of the scheme in encouraging innovative
approaches to providing recycling services
to the community,” Senator Farrell said.
“E-Cycle will focus on providing membership
to television importers, and will offer
recycling services to the community primarily
through electrical retail outlets. In particular,
it has established a partnership with Retravision,
which will provide an alternative place
for consumers to drop off their end-of-life
televisions.”
On-ground activity under the scheme is on
track to commence in mid 2012, with access
to services expanding across Australia by
the end of 2013.
As an administrator of an approved co-regulatory
arrangement, E-Cycle Solutions is required
to achieve annual targets for recycling
computers and televisions, starting with
a 30 per cent recycling rate in 2012-13
and rising to 80 per cent in 2021-22, roll
out reasonable access to free collection
services across Australia by December 2013,
and ensure that appropriate occupational
health and safety and environmental practices
are in place.
The industry run and
funded National Television and Computer
Recycling Scheme is regulated by the Australian
Government under the landmark Product Stewardship
Act 2011.
