Department of ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES 2018-19 ANNUAL REPORT Published by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources © Northern Territory Government, 2019 You may download, display, print and copy any material in this report in unaltered form only for your personal use or for non-commercial use within your organisation. Except as permitted above, you must not copy, adapt, publish, distribute or commercialise any material contained in this report without prior written permission from the Northern Territory Government through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Enquiries should be made to: Department of Environment and Natural Resources PO Box 496, Palmerston NT 0831 Telephone: 08 8999 5511 Email: [email protected] Web: www.denr.nt.gov.au ISSN: 2209-7740 (online) 2209-7732 (print) Letter to the Minister The Hon. Eva Lawler MLA Minister for Environment and Natural Resources Parliament House State Square Darwin NT 0800 Dear Minister, I am pleased to present you with the 2018-19 Annual Report of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of section 28 of the Public Sector Employment and Management Act 1993 and section 12 of the Financial Management Act 1995. Pursuant to my responsibilities as the Accountable Officer under the Public Sector Employment and Management Act, the Financial Management Act and the Information Act 2002, I advise that to the best of my knowledge and belief: • proper records of all transactions affecting the Department of Environment and Natural Resources are kept, and all employees under my control observe the provisions of the Financial Management Act, its Regulations and applicable Treasurer’s Directions • procedures in the department afford proper internal control, and these procedures are recorded in the Accounting and Property Manual, which has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Financial Management Act • there is no indication of fraud, malpractice, major breach of legislation or delegation, major error in, or omission from, the accounts and records • in accordance with section 15 of the Financial Management Act, the internal audit capacity was adequate and the results of all internal audit matters were reported to me • the financial statements included in this annual report have been prepared from proper accounts and records and are in accordance with the Treasurer’s Directions • all Employment Instructions issued by the Commissioner for Public Employment have been satisfied • in respect to my responsibilities under section 131 of the Information Act, processes have been implemented to achieve compliance with the archives and records management provisions prescribed in Part 9 of the Information Act Yours sincerely, Jo Townsend Chief Executive Officer 28 September 2019 2 INTRODUCTION Purpose The Department of Environment and Natural Resources annual report provides a record of the department’s functions and performance for 2018-19 and progress against its strategic goals and priorities. The annual report complies with annual reporting requirements in the Public Sector Employment and Management Act 1993, the Financial Management Act 1995 and the Information Act 2002. Our audience The annual report provides information about the department’s activities and achievements for the 2018-19 financial year. It is tabled by the Minister in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, primarily as an accounting and reporting mechanism for the department’s income and financial expenditure for the year ending 30 June 2019. The report provides information to other government agencies and the public information about the department’s range, purpose and outcomes during the year. It also formally acknowledges the achievements of its employees. Report structure The report is made up of five key sections: • Our department The organisation’s purpose, primary functions and objectives. • Our achievements The department’s output performance in 2018-19 and results against measures published in Budget Paper No. 3. • Our people An overview of the department’s people, human resource management and legislative requirements and formal acknowledgement of our employees’ achievements. • Corporate governance The department’s corporate governance model and performance. • Financial reports The department’s financial statements and related notes. This annual report is published online at www.denr.nt.gov.au 3 Contents Our department 5 Our achievements 17 Our people 47 Corporate Governance 57 Financials 71 Appendices 120 4 our department 5 Darwin Batchelor Katherine Tennant Creek Alice Springs Budget priorities: Jobs and economy Safer communities 31 pieces of legislation administered Investing in the bush • 19 Acts • 12 pieces of subordinate legislation Trust 6 OUR DEPARTMENT Our department Overview The Department of Environment and Natural Resources provides natural resource monitoring, management and advice, including scientific assessment of flora, fauna, land and water assets, and the allocation and management of these resources to enable their sustainable use. The agency also provides assessment, monitoring and compliance support, and services on behalf of the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority (NT EPA) to support environmentally sustainable development. To be effective, we need a strong partnership approach. It is through partnerships with landholders, across government and with our external stakeholders, that we will meet our priorities in managing our natural resources sustainably, for the benefit of all Territorians. Our regions The department operates from offices throughout the Territory, including in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine, Batchelor and Darwin. We provide natural resource management services and advice to landholders across the 1,350,000km² of the Northern Territory. Through our presence in the regions we maintain strong connections with rural and remote communities to deliver effective consultation, planning and services. The Katherine, Tennant Creek, Batchelor and Alice Springs teams appreciate the value of partnerships with local stakeholders. They are proud of the relationships they have established and continue to strengthen them with regular and meaningful engagement. Darwin Barkly region The Goyder building in Palmerston is the central Our regional office in Tennant Creek hosts 3 positions location for the Department of Environment and in the Bushfires NT and Rangelands divisions, and staff Natural Resources. The department has staff based at are based at the Leichardt Street building. Tannadice Street (Winnellie), the Herbarium Building It services the Barkly region which covers around (Palmerston), CSIRO Building (Berrimah), Arnhemica 322,500km². House (Parap), and Bushfire Headquarters and Operations Centre (Winnellie and Batchelor). Central Australia region A total of 280 staff are located in the Darwin region across all divisions. In Alice Springs our department employs 36 staff across the Flora and Fauna, Water Resources, Bushfires NT, Envrionment, Rangelands and Executive Katherine region divisions, based at the Arid Zone Research Institute Our regional office in Katherine hosts 14 staff in and Elders Street Alice Springs. the Water Resources, Bushfires NT, Rangelands and The Central Australia region covers an area of Executive divisions. Staff are based in the Giles Street 546,000km², which comprises 40% of the Northern building. Territory. The Katherine region covers some 370,000km² and supports a range of major industries including mining, pastoralists, agriculture, forestry and fisheries. 7 Strategic plan 2017-20 Our vision The Northern Territory’s land and water resources are managed sustainably for the benefit of all Territorians, informed by the best available science. Our purpose Provide advice and support for the sustainable development of the Northern Territory’s land and water and conservation of its unique native flora and fauna. Goals Strategies 1 Strategically improve • Undertake strategic integrated assessments of ground and surface scientific and water systems, land resources and biodiversity values to inform community knowledge management and de-risk investment in regional development. and understanding of • Implement robust monitoring systems to track and report on the water, soils, landscapes health of the Territory’s biodiversity, the condition of the Territory’s and biodiversity to rangelands, the health of Darwin Harbour and inland waterways, and better inform adaptive the quality of the Darwin airshed. and responsive management. • Develop and implement an online information strategy to improve community understanding of the Territory’s natural resources. 2 Advise on the effective • Implement water allocation planning in conjunction with water policy planning, allocation, reform. conservation and use of • Ensure that outputs from the Mapping the Future project inform the Northern Territory’s natural resource allocation planning and decisions. natural resources. • Provide the best available information on the Territory’s natural resources to support the NT Government’s Economic Development Framework. • Develop and maintain integrated information systems for natural resource data and information accessible to stakeholders, land managers and the community. • Support the sustainable development of the pastoral estate through contemporary pastoral legislation. 3 Develop and deliver • Reform, streamline and increase transparency