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COMMISSIONER FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT ACT 1993 - SECT 19 State of the environment report

COMMISSIONER FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT ACT 1993 - SECT 19

State of the environment report

    (1)     The commissioner must, no later than the reporting day, give a state of the environment report to the Minister for each reporting period.

    (2)     A state of the environment report must include—

        (a)     an assessment of the condition of the environment, including an assessment of any of the following matters that the commissioner considers necessary:

              (i)     the components of the earth, including soil, the atmosphere and water;

              (ii)     any organic or inorganic matter and any living organism;

              (iii)     human made or modified structures and areas;

              (iv)     ecosystems and their constituent parts, including people and communities;

              (v)     the qualities and characteristics of places and areas that contribute to their biological diversity and ecological integrity, scientific value and amenity;

              (vi)     the interactions and interdependencies within and between the things mentioned in subparagraphs (i) to (v);

              (vii)     the social, aesthetic, cultural and economic conditions that affect, or are affected by, the things mentioned in subparagraphs (i) to (v);

        (b)     an evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of environmental management, including an assessment about the degree of compliance with national environment protection measures made by the National Environment Protection Council; and

        (c)     an assessment of pressures and sustainability trends; and

        (d)     an evaluation of the effectiveness of sustainability plans; and

        (e)     any other matters, whether or not occurring within the triennium to which the report relates, that—

              (i)     the Minister states in written notice given to the commissioner; or

              (ii)     the commissioner considers relevant.

    (3)     The Minister must, within 6 months after the day of receiving a state of the environment report, present to the Legislative Assembly a statement that sets out the response of the government to the report.

    (4)     The commissioner must, within 12 months after the day the Minister presents a state of the environment report to the Legislative Assembly under section 22, give the Minister a recommendation about—

        (a)     the day on which the period to be covered by the next state of the environment report should end; and

        (b)     the reporting day, for that period, by which the next state of the environment report should be given to the Minister.

    (5)     The Minister must, after considering the commissioner's recommendation, determine—

        (a)     a reporting period that must—

              (i)     begin on the day after the end of the period covered by the previous state of the environment report; and

              (ii)     be not more than 4 years; and

        (b)     a reporting day for the period that must be no less than 3 and no more than 6 months after the end of the reporting period.

    (6)     A determination under subsection (5) is a disallowable instrument.

Note     A disallowable instrument must be notified, and presented to the Legislative Assembly, under the Legislation Act

.

    (7)     In this section:

"reporting day", for a reporting period, means the day determined by the Minister under subsection (5) for that period.

"reporting period "means the period determined by the Minister under subsection (5).

"sustainability plan "means a plan that—

        (a)     includes a sustainability goal; and

        (b)     is a disallowable instrument.

Note     A disallowable instrument must be notified, and presented to the Legislative Assembly, under the Legislation Act

.