Issue 109

Dear Chris

A final reminder that the Wheatbelt NRM AGM will take place this Thursday 27th October at 10am. The AGM will host members voting on important governance changes and features guest speaker Professor Paul Hardisty, Global Director of EcoNomics™. For more information on the AGM or Paul Hardisty please see the article below.

Kind regards,

Wheatbelt NRM

Web version

Events

Final reminder for the Wheatbelt NRM AGM

You are invited to the Wheatbelt NRM Annual General Meeting

Featuring guest speaker Professor Paul Hardisty

Date: 27 October 2011

Time: 10:00 am Morning Tea, 10.30am AGM commences

Venue: Bridgeley Community Centre, 91-93 Wellington Street, Northam

RSVP: drobinson@wheatbeltnrm.org.au or call 9690 2250

Program Overviews will be presented from 11:30am to 12 noon followed by the guest speaker, Professor Paul Hardisty until 1pm. You are then invited to join us for lunch in the Community Garden at the Centre, which was partly funded by Wheatbelt NRM.

Professor Paul Hardisty is Global Director of EcoNomics™ and Sustainability for Worley Parsons. EcoNomics™ is a service which embeds profitable sustainability into all aspects of the project delivery
life cycle. Paul has over 20 years of experience advising corporations and government on environmental and social sustainability. He has particular expertise in environmental strategy and decision making,
and the financial and economic aspects of sustainability, climate change, water resources and waste management.

He is the author of a new book “Environmental and Economic Sustainability” which has just been published by CRC Press . He is a contributor to President Gorbachev’s Climate Change Task Force, and a Director of Green Cross Australia, an international NGO dedicated to creating a value shift in society towards a more sustainable future.

General News

State Funding topped up on 20 projects including Riparian improvement of Avon River pools ‐ Gwambygine

$2.3 million has been used to extend the work of 20 State NRM Program funded projects. Community organisations such as Wheatbelt NRM, Government agencies and universities are amongst the recipients and projects span from the Kimberley to the South Coast.

All projects funded address State Natural Resource Management Program investment priorities. These priorities are set by the WA NRM Ministerial Council and include the protection of land, water, marine and coastal environments; recovery and conservation of biodiversity; and enhancement of skills, knowledge, capacity and planning processes to achieve NRM outcomes.

Wheatbelt NRMs project “Riparian improvement of Avon River pools ‐ Gwambygine” is one of the projects to get extended.

Works will be conducted to improve the hydrological capacity and refuge value of Gwambygine Pool. Works are to include, bank stabilisation and revegetation. An ecological survey will be conducted to determine the ecological impact of dredging.

For more information on this project please contact Natarsha Woods on 9690 2250 or email nwoods@wheatbeltnrm.org.au

Congratulations to the Avon Valley Environmental Society Inc, Northam.

The Avon Valley Environmental Society (AVES) are finalists in the 2011 Regional Achievement Awards for the CSBP Environment Award. These awards acknowledge and reward the valuable contribution of groups such as AVES throughout Western Australia.

The winners of the awards will be announced at a gala dinner to be held on 11 November 2011.

Wheatbelt NRM congratulates AVES, its volunteers and members for an outstanding contribution to the environment and sustainability in the region.

For more information about the awards and finalists please visit: http://www.awardsaustralia.com/RACA_wa.html

CFOC Review - We’ve updated our library!

Caring for Our Country 

As part of our review of Caring for our Country, information from research papers, reports and surveys have been gathered in the CFOC library.

The information from these papers, in addition to findings from CFOC's extensive consultation, will contribute to the review of Caring for our Country.

Go to the library at www.caringforourcountry.com.au  to see the new titles.

New Climate Authority will give independent advice on the carbon price

Australian Government

A new Climate Change Authority will be created by the Clean Energy laws which are soon to be introduced to the Senate. The Authority will be independent and give advice to the Australian Government on the performance of the carbon price and other initiatives. It will make recommendations on the year-by-year steps, and on the longer-term path, that Australia should take towards the 2050 target.

An important feature of the Authority is that it will conduct regular, public reviews of the carbon pricing mechanism and it will make its reports available to the public. The very first review, providing recommendations on the carbon pricing mechanism’s first five years of pollution caps, will be completed by February 2014.

The Authority will be made up of a Chair and eight Members, one of whom will be the Chief Scientist. The Members will have significant experience and a strong reputation in at least one of the following fields:

• climate science
• economics (including environmental economics)
• industry
• social policy
• technology development and adoption
• employment policy
• energy production and supply
• greenhouse gas emissions measurement and reporting
• greenhouse gas abatement measures
• financial markets and investment
• trading of environmental instruments
• land resource management
• environmental management
• public administration.

Other reviews to be conducted by the Authority will cover the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting system, the Renewable Energy Target and the Carbon Farming Initiative.

The law which establishes the Authority sets out principles that will guide its work. These principles ensure that any measures adopted in Australia to respond to climate change should:

• be economically efficient, environmentally effective, equitable and in the public interest
• take account of the impact on households, business and communities
• support the development of an effective global response to climate change, and
• be consistent with Australia’s foreign policy and trade objectives.

Funding

Applications open for further live cattle export assistance

Australian Government

Subsidised interest on loans of up to $300,000 to assist those affected by the temporary suspension of live animal exports is now available through the Government’s Subsidised Interest Rate Scheme, Agriculture Minister Senator Joe Ludwig said today.

Minister Ludwig said the scheme will be administered through State and Territory rural assistance authorities, with the final go ahead received from the Queensland, Northern Territory and West Australian Governments this week.

“To help businesses affected by the temporary suspension of cattle exports to Indonesia, the Australian Government will subsidise the interest on new or extended borrowings for up to two years,” Minister Ludwig said.

“Eligible businesses can now access a subsidy over two years on new lending facilities of up to $300,000.

“To get started, contact the rural assistance authority in your state or territory and they’ll talk you through the application process.

“Those who have already registered their interest for the Subsidised Interest Rate Scheme will be contacted shortly to discuss their eligibility.”

Minister Ludwig reminded producers and pastoralists the Australian Government is also offering grants of up to $5,500 through Centrelink to obtain financial advice.

“The financial advice grant can be used by pastoralists to pay for advice from their financial adviser, accountant or other professional to help with these decisions,” Minister Ludwig said.

More information about the Subsidised Interest Rate Scheme and other assistance visit www.liveexports.gov.au/assistance

Opportunities

Getting the community’s perspective on NRM funding

Caring for Our Country

The government is seeking expressions of interest from people interested in becoming community assessors to play a crucial role in sustainable natural resource management funding decisions.

The government is seeking applications from people interested in becoming a community assessor. They may be involved in assessing funding applications for initiatives including Caring for our Country and Action on the Ground.

Caring for our Country is the Australian Government’s flagship program that aims to build resilience in the natural environment through investing across a broad range of areas. Action on the Ground is part of the Carbon Farming Initiative under the Australian Government’s Securing a Clean Energy Future plan and is designed to help farmers and land managers make the most of new carbon farming opportunities.

Applications are sought from Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians across a broad age range and from all regions of Australia. Assessors will have at least one of the following:

• broad community knowledge and experience in managing natural resources
• knowledge of local natural resource management issues and opportunities
• knowledge of sustainable farming practices (including commercial fishing and aquaculture)
• knowledge and experience in practices and technologies that can reduce the emission of greenhouse gas from the agricultural sector and/or increase carbon stored in soil.

If you know someone who would be interested in this role, please encourage them to read the detailed information on the DAFF website. If you have access to mailing lists or other suitable avenues for promoting this opportunity to the Australian community, please contact Christine Aughey @ communityassessors@daff.gov.au .  Ongoing public servants are not eligible to apply for these roles

Applications close 8am, Wednesday 26 October, 2011

Birds Australia Conservation Officer

Birds Australia

Birds Australia is looking for a suitably qualified Conservation Officer to engage and support a broad range of volunteers, communities and stakeholders, and implement the 2012 & 2013 Great Cocky Counts throughout the greater Perth Metropolitan Area and regional South West.

The Conservation Officer will also be responsible for regular reporting and the development of an annual Great Cocky Count report. Ultimately the role works to protect and better manage critical habitat for the conservation of threatened cockatoos in the Perth Region.

This full time position will be based in Perth; applications close Monday 31 October.

For job description and selection criteria, go to http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au/our-people/employment.html

Publications

The Badjaling Storybook

Wheatbelt NRM

“…very important to be a
Nyungar, he knows the land
and the seasons... he knows
when the rain coming by the
ants, gathering all the food
before the weather breaks.”
- BASIl WINMAR

The Badjaling Mission reserve was created in 1933 for the United Aborigines Mission and originally also included all the land contained in DEC Reserve 23758.

The reserve was the camping ground and home for about 30 Nyungar families from 1887 to 1954. It was used by local Nyungar people prior to colonisation for traditional hunting, food collecting and camping as it contained several freshwater sources. Nyungar people have continued to camp in the area from time to time even after people were officially moved to Quairading Reserve in 1954 when the mission closed.

Nyungar people formally moved back to the Reserve in 1980, the current housing being established in 1998.

Click here to download the Document (16MB)

Focus On

Landcare Landscape – 2011 Volunteering Survey Report and $500 draw recipients

Landcare Australia

In July and August 2011 a nationwide survey was conducted by Landcare Australia in order to capture the needs and challenges faced by volunteer Landcare groups (‘Landcare’ including Coastcare, Bushcare, ‘Friends of’, Rivercare and Dunecare groups). The survey was conducted to coincide with Landcare Week, which ran from September 5th to 11th. Landcare Week helps raise awareness of the Landcare movement and the vital role it plays in repairing and protecting Australia’s natural resources and the uptake of sustainable production practices.

Click here to download a copy of the survey report

Everyone who fully completed the survey was entered into a draw to receive one of 20 grants worth $500 for their group.

Click here to view the winners of the $500 draw