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Australian Natural Resources Atlas

Natural Resource Topics

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  • Management

Providing nationwide assessments

The National Land and Water Resources Audit (the Audit) is facilitating improved decision-making on land, vegetation and water resource management natural resource management in Australia by:

Providing a clear understanding of the status of, and changes in, the nation's land, vegetation and water resources and implications for their sustainable use.

Providing an interpretation of the costs and benefits (economic, environmental and social) of land and water resource change and any remedial actions.

Developing a national information system of compatible and readily accessible natural resources data.

Producing national land and water (surface and groundwater) assessments as integrated components of the Audit.

Ensuring integration with, and collaboration between, other relevant initiatives.

Providing a framework for monitoring Australia's land and water resources in an ongoing and structured way.

In partnership with Commonwealth, and State and Territory agencies, and through its theme activities—Water Availability; Dryland Salinity; Native Vegetation; Rangelands Monitoring; Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability; Australians and Natural Resource Management; Catchments, Rivers and Estuaries Condition; and Information Management—the Audit has prepared:

Assessments of the status of and, where possible, recent changes in Australia's land, vegetation and water resources to assist decision makers achieve ecological sustainability. These assessments set a baseline or benchmark for monitoring of change.

Integrated reports on the economic, environmental and social dimensions of land and water resource management, including recommendations for management action.

An Australian Natural Resources Atlas and Data Library to provide Internet-based access to integrated national, State and regional data and information about key natural resource issues.

Guidelines and protocols for assessing and monitoring the condition and management of Australia's land, vegetation and water resources.

Who is the Audit responsible to?

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has overall responsibility for the Audit as a program of the Natural Heritage Trust. The Audit reports through the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to the Natural Heritage Board also the Minister for the Environment and Heritage.

How is the Audit managed?

An Advisory Council manages the implementation of the Audit. Dr Roy Green, with a background in research, science policy and management chairs the Advisory Council. Members and observers on the Advisory Council and the organisations they represent are: Drew Clarke (ANZLIC), Warwick Watkins (LWRRDC), Bernard Wonder (AFFA), Stephen Hunter (EA), John Radcliffe (CSIRO), Peter Sutherland (SCARM), Jon Womersley (SCC), Roger Wickes (SCARM) and Colin Creighton (Audit).

What is the role of the Audit Management Unit?

The Audit Management Unit's role has evolved over its five-year life. Phases of activity include:

• Phase 1. Strategic planning and work plan formulation—specifying (in partnership with Commonwealth, States and Territories, industry and community) the activities and outputs of the Audit—completed in 1998-99.
• Phase 2. Project management—letting contracts, negotiating partnerships and then managing all the component projects and consultancies that will deliver Audit outputs—a major component of Unit activities from 1998-99 onwards. Phase 3. Reporting—combining outputs from projects in each theme to detail Audit findings and formulate recommendations—an increasingly important task in 2000-2001 and the early part of 2001-02.
• Phase 4. Integration and implementation—combining theme outputs in a final report, working towards the implementation of recommendations across government, industry and community and the application of information products as tools to improve natural resource management—the major focus for 2001-2002.
• Phase 5. Developing long term arrangements for continuing Audit-type activities—developing and advocating a strategic approach for the continuation of Audit-type activities—complete in 2001-2002.

The Audit Management Unit has been maintained over the Audit's period of operations as an eight-person multidisciplinary team. This team as at December 2001 comprises Colin Creighton, Warwick McDonald, Stewart Noble, Maria Cofinas, Jim Tait, Rochelle Lawson, Sylvia Graham and Drusilla Patkin.

How are Audit activities undertaken?

As work plans were agreed by clients and approved by the Advisory Council, component projects in these work plans are contracted out. Contracting involves negotiation by the Audit to develop partnerships with key clients or a competitive tender process.

Facts and figures

Total Audit worth, including all partnerships	in excess of $52 m
Audit allocation from Natural Heritage Trust	$34.19 m
Percentage of funds allocated to contracts	~ 92%
Total number of contracts	130

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