Office of Environment and Heritage (New South Wales)

Office of Environment and Heritage
Agency overview
Formed	4 April 2011
Dissolved	Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water
Superseding agency	Department of Environment and Conservation Department of Environment and Climate Change
Type	Department
Jurisdiction	New South Wales
Minister responsible	Mark Speakman, Minister for the Environment and Minister for Heritage
Parent agency	Department of Planning and Environment
Child agencies	Anzac Memorial Building Trustee Centennial Park and Moore Park Environment Protection Authority Environmental Trust Historic Houses Trust Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust Lord Howe Island Board Luna Park Reserve Trust Marine Parks Authority National Parks and Wildlife Service Natural Resources Commission NSW Scientific Committee Parramatta Park Trust Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Sustainability Programs Division Taronga Conservation Society WSN Environmental Solutions Zoological Parks Board Western Sydney Parklands Trust
Website	www.environment.nsw.gov.au

The New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH), a division of the Government of New South Wales, is responsible for the protection and conservation the New South Wales environment, including the natural environment, Aboriginal country, culture and heritage and built heritage, and manages national parks and reserves within the state. The OEH is part of the Department of Planning and Environment.

The Chief Executive of the Office of Environment and Heritage is Terry Bailey; who reports to the Minister for the Environment and Minister for Heritage, the Hon. Mark Speakman, MP.

History

Government agencies for the protection and conservation of natural and built resources in New South Wales have existed since the appointment of the first Minister for Conservation, the Hon. Captain Bill Dunn, MLA in 1946.

The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) was formed following the merger of the Environment Protection Authority, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Botanic Gardens Trust, and Resource NSW. This agency contained the Office of Water, which was formed from the New South Wales Department of Water and Energy, formed in 2007 and dissolved in 2009; other parts and responsibilities of the Department of Water and Energy were transferred to the Division of Minerals and Energy in Industry & Investment New South Wales. At previous times DECCW was known as the Department of Environment and Conservation and the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC).

Following the election of the O'Farrell government at the 2011 state election, the functions of the DECCW were broken up with its responsibilities split between the new Office of Environment and Heritage and the residual functions managed by the Industry, Innovation and Investment Division of the Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services. The OEH was managed under the direction of the Department of Premier and Cabinet until 2014, when the Baird government changed the reporting arrangements so that the OEH now reports to the Department of Planning and Environment.

Responsibilities

The former department was responsible for:

management of flora and fauna
promotion of environmentally sustainable consumption and production
protection of the state's cultural heritage, particularly Aboriginal cultural heritage
regulation of air and water quality, noise, chemicals, radiation and waste disposal

The organisation had strong links with the Sydney Catchment Authority.

Structure

The department was headed by Director-General Lisa Corbyn and headquartered in Sydney, with offices across the city and state.

The Office consists of seven functional areas:

Climate Change, Policy and Programs Group
Environment Protection and Regulation Group
Parks and Wildlife Group
Botanic Gardens Trust
Corporate Services Division
Culture and Heritage Division
Scientific Services Division

Although an agency of the Government of New South Wales, the Office includes a number of independent boards and committees; for example, the management of the Botanic Gardens is overseen by the Botanic Gardens Trust, and the powers of the Environment Protection Authority, as exercised by the Authority to investigate or prosecute government agencies, are formally vested in an independent board. Threatened species determinations are made by an Independent Scientific Committee. A number of advisory councils have been established to allow community members to have a say in the management of parks and reserves.

Environment protection

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) was established in February 2012 as a statutory authority. The EPA has an independent governing Board and is the primary environmental regulator for NSW. It carries out environmental protection work in a variety of areas including air and water quality, environmental incident management, contaminated land, noise, coal seam gas, native forestry, dangerous goods, hazardous waste, chemicals and pesticides, and waste and resource recovery.^[1]

Parks and Wildlife

The Parks and Wildlife division is referred to in the department's external communications by its pre-merger name, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The NPWS manages over 660 protected areas in the state, including Kosciuszko National Park, Sydney Harbour National Park, Royal National Park and the Blue Mountains National Park.

With the national parks estate covering around 10 per cent of New South Wales, the department is a significant player in debates over land management in the state. The NPWS has a significant amount of responsibility for fire management in the state, and is often the target of criticism when Sydney - the so-called "city in a national park" - is threatened by bushfire.

As a land manager, the NPWS must also address pest management issues. The status of wild horses in Kosciuszko National Park and deer in Royal National Park is particularly contested, with many park users viewing these introduced species as having heritage value.

The New South Wales Labor government under Bob Carr sought to significantly increase the size of the national parks estate. This was despite funding constraints, meaning that funding per unit area has fallen in recent years. A large number of parks and reserves in the NPWS estate lack detailed plans of management and fire management strategies.

Botanic Gardens Trust

The Botanic Gardens Trust manages four parkland areas in and around metropolitan Sydney.

Other agencies

The department is mirrored at a national level by the Department of the Environment (Australia). Some protected areas in metropolitan Sydney are protected by other agencies, including local councils, the Centennial Park Trust, the Sydney Olympic Park Trust, and the Australian Government's Sydney Harbour Federation Trust. Elsewhere in the state are protected areas managed by the Marine Parks Authority of New South Wales and the State Parks of New South Wales.

References

↑ NSW EPA website http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au. Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

Departments and agencies of the New South Wales Government

New South Wales Government

Premier and Cabinet	Parliamentary Counsel's Office Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal Ombudsman's Office Public Service Commission Office of the Governor NSW Electoral Commission Ombudsman Venues NSW Sydney Cricket Ground Trust Sydney Olympic Park Authority Office of Sport NSW Institute of Sport Destination NSW Infrastructure NSW Natural Resources Commission Barangaroo Delivery Authority Audit Office Auditor-General Independent Commission Against Corruption Office of Western Sydney International Engagement

Justice	Arts NSW Art Gallery Trust Australian Museum Trust Crown Solicitor's Office Corrective Services Director of Public Prosecutions Fire and Rescue NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority Industrial Relations Commission Information and Privacy Commission Judicial Commission Juvenile Justice Legal Aid Commission Legal Profession Admission Board Liquor & Gaming NSW, formerly Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing Library Council of New South Wales Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences Ministry of Police and Emergency Services Crime Commission Office of the Rural Fire Service Office of the State Emergency Service NSW Police Force NSW Trustee and Guardian Police Integrity Commission Public Guardian Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages Screen NSW Sydney Opera House Trust Veterans' Affairs

Education	Aboriginal Affairs NSW Aboriginal Land Council Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards Charles Sturt University Council Macquarie University Council Southern Cross University Council University of New England Council University of New South Wales Council University of Newcastle Council University of Technology, Sydney Council University of Western Sydney Board of Trustees University of Wollongong Council

Family and Community Services	Ageing, Disability and Home Care Community Services Children's Guardian Advocate for Children and Young People Home Care Service of New South Wales Aboriginal Housing Office New South Wales Land and Housing Corporation Housing NSW Multicultural NSW

Finance and Services	Service NSW Office of State Revenue Valuer General NSW Self Insurance Corporation Motor Vehicle Repair Industry Authority Government Property NSW Teacher Housing Authority of New South Wales Parliamentary Contributory Superannuation Fund Building Insurers' Guarantee Corporation State Records Authority New South Wales Government Telecommunications Authority Motor Accidents Authority WorkCover Authority Board of Surveying and Spatial Information Building Professionals Board NSW Architects Registration Board Rental Bond Board Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority Luna Park Reserve Trust Internal Audit Bureau NSW Fair Trading Waste Assets Management Corporation Geographic Names Board NSW Public Works (including the Government Architect)

Health	Health Care Complaints Commission Sydney Children's Hospitals Network Agency for Clinical Innovation Bureau of Health Information Clinical Excellence Commission Health Education and Training Institute Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network Mental Health Commission Ambulance Service of NSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Council of New South Wales Local Health Districts x 15 Statutory Health Corporations x 10 Health Administration Corporation Cancer Institute of New South Wales Office for Women’s Policy

Industry, Skills and Regional Development	Department of Primary Industries Crown Lands Division NSW Food Authority TAFE Commission Soil Conservation Service Local Land Services Cobar Water Board Dams Safety Committee Veterinary Practitioners Board NSW Rural Assistance Authority Essential Energy Ausgrid TransGrid Endeavour Energy Delta Electricity Hunter Water Corporation Sydney Water Corporation Forestry Corporation of NSW Game Council Water NSW Sydney Catchment Authority Office of Small Business Chief Scientist and Engineer

Planning and Environment	Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust Environment Protection Authority Historic Houses Trust Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust Landcom Lord Howe Island Board Office of Environment and Heritage Office of Local Government Parramatta Park Trust Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust Sydney Living Museums Taronga Conservation Society Australia UrbanGrowth NSW Western Sydney Parklands Trust

Transport	Independent Transport Safety Regulator NSW Trains Office of Transport Safety Investigations Port Authority of New South Wales RailCorp Roads & Maritime Services State Transit Authority Sydney Ferries Sydney Trains Transport for NSW WestConnex Delivery Authority

Treasury	Liability Management Ministerial Corporation Long Service Corporation NSW Treasury Corporation (TCorp) Office of Industrial Relations Residual Business Management Corporation SAS Trustee Corporation State Rail Authority Residual Holding Corporation

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