AREC inquiry into regulation in primary industries

Invitation for Submissions

The Agriculture, Resources and Environment Committee of the Queensland Parliament has invited submissions from interested persons into methods of regulating  agriculture and resource industries. An issues paper indicates the likely focus of AREC's inquiry and makes frequent reference to the COAG agenda towards best practice regulation.

The closing date for submissions is 17 August 2012

Background to the COAG Agenda

The issues paper needs to be seen in the context of the COAG Meeting Communiqué of 13 April 2012. The Business Advisory Forum reported as follows:

Following discussions at the Business Advisory Forum, COAG agreed to progress six priority areas for major reform to lower costs for business and improve competition and productivity.  The reform priorities are:

• addressing duplicative and cumbersome environment regulation;
• streamlining the process for approvals of major projects;
• rationalising carbon reduction and energy efficiency schemes;
• delivering energy market reforms to reduce costs;
• improving assessment processes for low risk, low impact developments; and
• best-practice approaches to regulation.

As a response, COAG agreed to establish a Taskforce  to advise on measure to be taken; and the Taskforce in turn asked the Productivity Commission for a ‘preliminary high-level review’ of sixteen areas of reform that COAG had identified. The review is now published as -

COAG’s Regulatory and Competition Reform Agenda: A high level assessment of the gains, Productivity Research Paper, June 2012

At is 25 July meeting,  COAG reviewed advice form its Taskforce and the Productivity Commission Report.

COAG reiterated its commitment to reducing duplication and double-handling of environmental assessment and approval processes while maintaining high environmental standards that are risk- and outcomes-based. In line with the timing agreed at the COAG meeting in April, consultations are underway and negotiations for bilateral agreements are about to commence.

 Related documents included:

• Business Regulation and Competition Working Group Report Card on Progress of Deregulation Priorities
• Public Report to COAG on Competition Reforms under the Seamless National Economy Reforms

Presumably, AREC will consider this background in its report to the Legislative Assembly that is required by 30 November 2012.

Relevance to Surveying and Mapping Industry

An industry submission to AREC - required by 17 August 2012 - could indicate SSSI's interest in its current inquiry in the following areas:

• In dealing with development applications
• In pointing out the importance of information and the need to develop efficient information processing by humans and machines in achieving effective regulation
• In pointing out the particular importance of information about location in a variety of regulations affecting natural resources and the natural and built environments..