Government of South Australia South Australian Arid Lands Natural Resources Management Board February 2016 South Australian Arid Lands Natural Resources Management Board Draft Business Plan 2016/17 - 2018/19: a report on the public consultation period Consultation report SA Arid Lands NRM Board’s Business Plan 2016/17 – 2018/19 Public version Important note re privacy: Appendix 4 and Appendix 5 contain personal details which were removed Written submissions in Appendix 2 have been withheld from publication to protect the privacy of individuals; Appendix 3 provides the summary of these written submissions 1 Contents 1.1 Introduction 3 1.2 Background 3 1.3 Proposed amendments to the Business Plan 3 1.4 Statutory consultation requirements 4 1.5 Consultation strategy, communication channels and products 4 1.6 Avenues for feedback 6 1.7 Timing of communications activities 6 1.8 Consultation response measures 8 1.9 Feedback received 8 1.10 General evaluation 9 1.11 Board response 10 1.12 Appendix 1 Supporting communications products 11 1.13 Appendix 2 Written submissions received 57 1.14 Appendix 3 Summary of targeted briefings and written submissions and Board response 113 1.15 Appendix 4: Online feedback 129 1.16 Appendix 5: Log of phone enquiries 134 2 1.1 Introduction 1.3 Proposed amendments to the Business Plan This report presents a record of the community consultation activities undertaken by the SA Arid Lands In amending the Business Plan, the Board has had to (SAAL) Natural Resources Management (NRM) Board balance a commitment to its current programs and its during the formal public consultation period on the draft statutory responsibilities to deliver under the NRM Act Business Plan 2016/17 to 2018/19 which occurred over 56 2004 in the face of a number of increased costs. days from 14 December 2015 to 8 February 2016. In July 2015 when the State Budget was announced it Appendix 1 includes the communications products that became clear that the Board would be faced with a supported the consultation period; Appendix 2 provides a number of pressures in fulfilling its obligations from copy of the actual written submissions; Appendix 3 2016/17 and beyond. These include: includes a summary of the outcomes of targeted briefings an announcement in the State Budget that the and a summary of the written submissions received during Government will seek to partially recover the costs it the consultation period, the Board’s response and any incurs for Water Planning and Management activities recommended changes to the draft Business Plan; to beneficiaries via regional NRM levies. Appendix 4 includes the feedback received through the an announcement in the State Budget that the online Feedback Form and Board actions; and Appendix 5 Government will apply the NRM water levy to co- is the log of phone enquiries and outcomes. produced water extracted by the gas and petroleum industry, revenue which will be offset by a reduction 1.2 Background in ongoing core funding from the State Government. additional charges for administrative services The SAAL NRM Board is required under the Natural introduced by the Department of Environment, Water Resources Management Act 2004 (the NRM Act) to consult and Natural Resources (the Board’s delivery agent) in with the public and key stakeholders in preparing the 2015/16. region’s natural resources management plan. Adopted by the Minister for Environment and Conservation in May To ensure the Board can continue to achieve its 2010, the primary purpose of the Regional NRM Plan is to obligations, the Board is proposing: provide an integrated and coordinated basis for the management of the natural resources in the South To change the way the regional (land-based) levy is Australian Arid Lands Region through the achievement of calculated in out-of-council areas, moving from a defined resource condition and management action fixed charge per rateable property (currently $52) to a targets. tiered rate based on the area of rateable land in 2016/17, with increases by CPI only in 2017/18 and Volume 2 of the Regional NRM Plan comprises the SAAL 2018/19 (see Table 1). NRM Board’s three-year Business Plan and the Board is To continue to apply the fixed charge to ratepayers required under the NRM Act to review this at least every inside council areas but to increase the levy from $52 three years which includes a consultation period with the to $60 with increases by CPI only in 2017/18 and public and key stakeholders. The Business Plan sets out 2018/19. how the Board proposes to fund its own activities towards To raise the existing NRM water levy for all water achieving the resource condition and management action licence holders (except stock and domestic use and targets for the region. bore-fed wetlands) in the Far North Prescribed Wells Area by 20 per cent in 2016/17 with increases by CPI only in 2017/18 and 2018/19 (see Table 2). To set the new NRM water levy on co-produced water at 3.56 cents per kilolitre, with future review of the co-produced levy rate in 2017/18 and 2018/19. 3 Table 1: Proposed out of council levy rates based on Publishes a summary of the proposed amendments rateable land per property size on its website (and in any other manner that the Board may determine), inviting written submissions Property Number 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 within a period of no less than 21 days; size of rate Take reasonable steps to consult with a constituent properties council where there is a proposal of funds to be in SAAL recovered via a regional (land-based) NRM levy. < 10ha 2038 $60 $61.74 $63.53 >10 ha - 104 $200 $205.80 $211.77 Given the proposed amendments to the land and water <100ha levies have significant implications for the region’s landholders and many water licensee holders, the Board >100ha - 119 $400 $411.60 $423.54 <100,000ha chose to extend the public consultation period beyond the statutory minimum of 21 days (to 56 days) to maximise the >100,000 90 $700 $720.30 $741.19 ha opportunity for the community to respond; to account for irregular mail delivery and collection in remote areas; and to account for the festive period. Table 2: Proposed NRM water levy increases by Licence Type - 2015/16 to 2018/19. 1.5 Consultation strategy, Type of water levy Existing Proposed Indicative Indicative 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 communication channels and c/kL c/kL c/kL c/kL products Mining; including product processing, To ensure a planned and strategic approach was taken to dewatering, mining 5.35 6.42 6.61 6.8 communicating with stakeholders during the statutory camp supply, and associated mining consultation period a Communications Strategy was uses developed. The Communications Strategy identified the Co-produced Exempt 3.56 3.66 3.77 major stakeholder groups in the region, the key messages, water and the communications channels and products Commercial appropriate for delivering these messages. (including irrigation), Town 3.46 4.15 4.27 4.39 Water Supply, The Board used a diverse range of communications Industrial, Tourism and Recreation channels and products to reach the SA Arid Lands community and deliver key messages to the stakeholder groups. Supporting communications products (letters, It is important to note that the Board has also made some adverts, e-announcements, media release, online and hard difficult decisions to reduce program delivery effort, and copy Feedback Form, Frequently Asked Questions etc) has scaled back its level of investment in science, were available for all mailouts, briefings and on the Natural extension and media/communications. Resources SA Arid Lands and YourSAY websites. Copies The Board would need to cut back on its core business in are supplied in Appendix 1. the areas of science, communications, community Key features of the consultation period were: engagement and support for NRM Groups if the Board do not raise additional levy revenue. Phone link with NRM Group Chairs (subject to their availability) ahead of the consultation period. 1.4 Statutory consultation requirements Electronic mailout (14 December and 28 January) to the major stakeholder groups operating in the SAAL The formal consultation requirements of the NRM Act NRM region: (Section 81) are that the Board: o Pastoral industry 4 o Mining and petroleum industries . Primary Producers (Livestock) o Progress Associations SA (Rob Kerin) o Peak bodies . Outback Communities o Aboriginal groups/organisations Authority (Mark Sutton, Cecilia o Tourism industry Woolford) o Aboriginal communities and . RDA Far North (Claire organisations Wiseman) o Government agencies . Roxby Downs Council (Bill o NRM Board/NRMGroups Boehm) o Staff . Coober Pedy Council (Tony Personal email to peak bodies (issued 11 or 18 Renshaw, Michelle Provatidis) December) offering a personal briefing: . Pastoral Board (Geoff Mills) o Coober Pedy Council (Tony Renshaw) . SA Chamber of Mines and o Roxby Downs Council (Bill Boehm) Energy (Jason Kuchel) o Outback Communities Authority (Cecilia . Local Government Association Woolford, Mark Sutton) (Matt Pinnegar) o Regional Development Australia (Far . SA Native Title Services (Keith North) (Jenny Cleary) Thomas) o SA Native Title Services (Keith Thomas) . Australian Petroleum o Local Government Association (Matt Production and Exploration Pinnegar) Association (Stedman Ellis, o SA Chamber of Mines and Energy (Jason Matt Doman) Kuchel) Two rounds of advertisements in the major local o Australian Petroleum Production and newspapers: Exploration Association (Stedman Ellis & o Coober Pedy