Department of the Environment
18 September 2013 – 19 July 2016
Previously Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (2010–2013). Renamed Department of the Environment and Energy in 2016.
Department of State responsible for environment protection and biodiversity conservation, heritage, climate change policy and emissions reduction, the Antarctic program and, until September 2015, water policy.
Names over time
- Department of the Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and Territories1987–1991
- Department of the Arts, Sport, the Environment and Territories1991–1993
- Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories1993–1997
- Department of the Environment1997–1998
- Department of the Environment and Heritage1998–2007
- Department of the Environment and Water Resources2007
- Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts2007–2010
- Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities2010–2013
- Department of the Environment2013–2016
- Department of the Environment and Energy2016–2020
How it came into existence
Created by the Administrative Arrangements Order of 18 September 2013 when the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities was renamed at the start of the Abbott government. It took climate change policy from the abolished Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education. Greg Hunt became Minister for the Environment.
- Renamed from Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities · 18 September 2013
- Environment protection and biodiversity conservation
- Heritage
- Water policy
- Antarctica
- Split from Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education · 18 September 2013
- Climate change policy and emissions reduction
- International climate change negotiations
- National greenhouse gas accounting
Changes during its life
- Remaining national water reform functions
The commission wound down from January 2015 and was abolished by the National Water Commission (Abolition) Act 2015, in force 17 June 2015.
- Secretariat and corporate support for the National Environment Protection Council
- Functions transferred to National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority · 28 February 2014
- Environmental assessment and approval of offshore petroleum activities under the EPBC Act
- Coordination of threatened species recovery
An office within the department, which provides its staff.
- Water policy and resources
- Murray–Darling Basin Plan implementation
- Cities policy
Cities policy sat in the Environment portfolio from September 2015 (Minister for Cities and the Built Environment) and was in Prime Minister and Cabinet by 2016, probably from the February 2016 ministry changes; the date of the move is not confirmed.
How it ended
Renamed the Department of the Environment and Energy on 19 July 2016, when energy policy moved to it from the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science; water had already gone to the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources in September 2015.
- Environment protection
- Heritage
- Climate change
- Antarctica
Main functions
- Environment protection and biodiversity conservation (EPBC Act)
- Heritage
- Climate change policy, including the Emissions Reduction Fund
- Water policy and the Murray–Darling Basin Plan (until September 2015)
- Australian Antarctic program
- Commonwealth national parks and marine reserves
- Meteorology (Bureau of Meteorology portfolio)
Bodies in this portfolio (3)
- National Environment Protection Council Service Corporation 1995–2014
- National Water Commission 2004–2015
- Climate Commission 2011–2013
Lineage
Loading lineage…
Sources
Primary sources
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 18 September 2013 (created it)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 30 September 2015, as amended to 19 July 2016 (took effect as it ended)
5 more Administrative Arrangements Orders set it out
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 12 December 2013 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 23 December 2014 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 9 July 2015 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 30 September 2015 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 30 September 2015, as amended to 18 February 2016 (sets it out)
- Australian Government Organisations Register (Department of Finance, data.gov.au) (listed from 11 December 2014 to 30 November 2015)
- Administrative Arrangements Order, 18 September 2013 (Federal Register of Legislation, C2013G01404)
Some dates or links for this organisation are not fully confirmed. Corrections are welcome.