Pic: Nicole Anderson
The Tarkine National Coalition has condemned Minister Burke’s announcement of a miniscule National Heritage Listing for the Tarkine is an insult and a betrayal of Australia’s National Heritage.
The listing decision has listed less than 4% of the area recommended by the Australian Heritage Council and leaves the largest temperate rainforest in the southern hemisphere open for logging and mining.
The omitted area is currently at risk from both current open cut mine proposals and destructive mining exploration activity.
“Tony Burke has betrayed the Tarkine again, and delivered a heritage listing for the mining bosses. He is undoubtably the Minister Against the Environment”, said Campaign Coordinator Scott Jordan.
“Those who seek to destroy the heritage values of the Tarkine will be cheering today”.
“Three Australian Heritage Council recommendations have now identified the need to protect the Tarkine as an intact landscape. But it seems Tony Burke takes his advice from the mining bosses”.
Much of the area excluded include existing reserves created by the Howard Government.
Tarkine National Coalition will continue to seek full and proper protection for the Tarkine.
Earlier Background
With Minister Tony Burke likely to make an announcement regarding National Heritage Listing (today), Tarkine National Coalition is providing this fact sheet to provide the context and background on the National Heritage nomination and assessment. TNC will issue a media release and make comment following the details of any announcement. TNC (the nominator) has not received any notification from the Minister’s office, and we have been alerted as a result of contact by the media.
Timeline.
2003: The original recommendation for National Heritage Listing Australian Heritage Commission (later renamed Australian Heritage Council) recommendation was made in 2003 to shift the existing Tarkine National Estate to the new created National Heritage List (Amendments to the EPBC Act replaced the former National Estate with the National Heritage List. The Minister at the time did not act on the recommendation.
2004: The formal nomination of the Tarkine for National Heritage Listing was made in a joint nomination by Tarkine National Coalition, WWF, Australian Conservation Foundation, Environment Tasmania and The Wilderness Society.
2007: The Senate unanimously backed a motion calling on the Tarkine to be placed on the priority assessment list.
2009: The assessment of the Tarkine was due for completion in September 2009, but Minister Garrett granted a further 12 month extension to September 2010. As a consequence of this extension an Emergency National Heritage Listing was announced in December 2009 to allow interim protection while the AHC to competed it’s assessment. This also allowed the now withdrawn Tarkine Road Project to be assessed against impacts on National Heritage Values.
2010: In September 2010 the AHC recommended a 433,000 hectare National Heritage Listing (Minister Burke refused to release this report which was later leaked). December 2010 Minister Burke allowed the Emergency National Heritage Listing to lapse and requested the AHC commence a new assessment of the Tarkine. The Tarkine is the longest running assessment in the history of the National Heritage List.
2012: The AHC delivered it’s latest recommendation to Minister Burke in December. This report has not been released.
Mythbusting.
1. Minister Burke has been waiting on the assessment from the Australian Heritage Council before making a decision on National Heritage Listing”
The Australian Heritage Council has already completed a report in September 2010 confirming the National Heritage Values of the Tarkine, and recommending a 433,000 hectare National heritage Listing. This echoed an earlier 2003 recommendation.
2. “The 2010 Australia Heritage Council recommendation was report was relating to an emergency listing, now they have to complete a report on the permanent listing”
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act regulates National Heritage matters. This act has no provision for reports or recommendations regarding creating emergency listings (which are a Ministerial discretion), but in fact require an emergency listed area to be assessed and reported on the suitability for a permanent listing. This is the only report the Australian Heritage Council can make. The September 2010 report (recommending a 433,000 hectare listing) was the report on whether the area should be National Heritage listed.
3. “The Tarkine already has mines and a blanket heritage listing is inappropriate”
The nomination for the Tarkine was never for a blanket listing. It excluded all existing mines, all towns, degraded areas, and previous logging sites. The September 2010 AHC report confirmed the National Heritage Values of 97% of the nomination (with the remaining area represented in post 2004 logging, and extensions to the 2004 mine leases).
4. “The current assessments of new mine developments in the Tarkine will adequately assess the environmental impacts of these proposals”
Since Minister Burke allowed the Emergency National Heritage Listing to lapse in December 2010 (two months after the Australian Heritage Council recommended a permanent listing), the Commonwealth is prevented by law from assessing matters related to National Heritage values. The current assessments are restricted to impacts on threatened species and threatened vegetation communities.
Also, by allowing the listing to lapse, exploration activity such as clearing sites for drilling, costeaning and roading can proceed without assessment by the Commonwealth as exploration activity is exempt from the EPBC Act unless it occurs in a National Heritage Listed area.
Will Minister Burke’s decision reflect the Australian Heritage Council’s recommendation?
This is the key question.
From the comments made by the Minister, and by prospective mining companies, it appears likely that the decision will not reflect the recommendation of the AHC. As the relevant statutory body, the AHC’s recommendation is supposed to be the basis for heritage listings.
When making a decision public, the Minister should also make public the AHC recommendation. If this is not released, it is reasonable to ask why not?
• Wayne Bould, TMC: The Tasmanian Minerals Council is very pleased
• Christine Milne, Peter Whish-Wilson: Burke allows mining in areas even John Howard protected
• TWS: National Heritage listing fails to protect the Tarkine
• Tim Morris: Burke fails Tarkine and Tasmania
• Richard Colbeck: Mr Burke, providing approval is one thing, providing security is next
• Environment Tasmania: Disappointment in the Tarkine
• Will you be my ValenTarkine Rally, Parliament Lawns, Noon, Thursday, February 14
Download Flyer:
Be_my_ValenTarkine.pdf
