THE Minerals Council of Australia will discuss its perspectives on cultural heritage protection and insights into improvements that could be made in the sector with the Northern Australia Committee at a public hearing tomorrow.

As well as this second appearance by the Minerals Council, the committee will also be hearing from Glencore/McArthur River Mine, Australian Archaeology Association, Australian Indigenous Archaeologists Association, Northern Land Council and Kokatha Aboriginal Corporation.

Northern Australia Committee Chair Warren Entsch noted that it would be interesting to hear the perspectives of archaeologists working in the area of Indigenous cultural heritage.

Mr Entsch stated he was "keen to engage with the Northern Land Council and the Kokatha Aboriginal Corporation in order to discuss their perspectives on issues that have been raised by other stakeholders".

The Australian Archaeology Association, in its submission, conveyed that situations comparable to Juukan Gorge, where Aboriginal sites having cultural significance to Traditional Owners, as well as scientific archaeological significance, are destroyed all too often.

A key issue for the Australian Indigenous Archaeologist’s Association is the dumbing down of Australia’s National, State and Territory Indigenous heritage legislation since the adoption of the EPBC Act in 1999.

A program for the public hearing is available on the committee’s website.

Public hearing details

Date: Tuesday, 6 July 2021
Time: 9am to 3pm AEST
Location: by video/teleconference

The hearings will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

Further details of the inquiry, including terms of reference, can be found on the Committee’s website.

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THE Accommodation Association has applauded National Cabinet’s four phase pathway out of the pandemic.

The international travel ban has significantly impacted metropolitan hotels particularly those in the international hubs of Sydney and Melbourne. Sydney hotels are currently at sub-2 percent occupancy and facing at least 50 percent cancellation rates all the way through to August as a result of the most recent state and territory border closures and restrictions. 

“The Accommodation Association along with the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and several other peak bodies have been calling for National Cabinet to release its roadmap to recovery and we welcome the common-sense approach outlined in today’s four stage plan," Accommodation Association CEO Dean Long said.
 
“We look forward to continuing to work with government at all levels as we work towards establishing key milestones in learning to live safely with COVID within a more normal framework.
 
“Our sector more than most has been heavily hit as a result of the international travel ban and the ongoing domestic border closures and restrictions. Our people and our properties, especially those hotels and accommodation providers in Sydney and Melbourne, have been under immense pressure and today’s announcement means we can all breathe a little easier because an end is now in sight," Mr Long said.

“Hotel quarantine has been critically important to allow thousands of Australians return home. Our members look forward to working with the government to ensure all Australians that wish to return home can.
 
“We welcome the enhanced vaccination rollout, and we encourage all Australians to get vaccinated so that we can all get back to living and travelling sooner rather than later.”\

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THE Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) welcomes reforms that will further reduce the red tape burden for charities fundraising in New South Wales.

From July 1, charities registered with the ACNC can access a more simpleapplication process when applying to NSW Fair Tradingto receive or renew an authority to fundraise in that state.Registered charities that are fundraising authority holders will not be required to submit a separate annual returnto NSW Fair Trading - they will only need to report to the ACNC.

This reporting arrangement applies from the 2021 Annual Information Statement.

Acting ACNC Commissioner Anna Longley praised these reformsas "yet another step in reducingthe regulatory burden for charities". 

“These reforms will make it easier for charities to fundraise in New South Wales, allowing them to focus on their charitable purposes,” Ms Longley said. 

“One of our main goals is to reduce the regulatory burden for charities by minimising duplication and harmonising reporting.”

NSW Fair Trading website.

ACNC website

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AUSTRALIA’s world-first climate-related consumer protection code of conduct is now fully operational, committing the nation’s carbon industry to higher standards of integrity, transparency and accountability than ever before. 

The Australian Carbon Industry Code of Conduct has expanded its powers to investigate consumer complaints, monitor and audit activities of its 22 signatories, and take enforcement action against those that deliberately mislead or disadvantage community clients. 

John Connor, CEO of the Carbon Market Institute, which administers the voluntary code said, “This is a vital step in growing a high integrity Australian carbon reduction and sequestration industry that farmers, consumers and investors can rely on. It’s an important world-first, building on an already respected framework of government assurance.” 

Code signatories include carbon service providers who, on conservative estimates, represent almost half of all carbon credits issued under the Federal government’s Emissions Reduction Fund. They are, or will be, significant participants in state-based contracting such as Queensland’s Land Restoration Fund. 

Code signatories also include intermediary brokerage, legal and advisory service providers. Many signatories engage with independent landowners, farmers, pastoralists and Indigenous stakeholders in their business activities. 

Under the code, these carbon businesses have committed to ensuring this engagement follows proper, ethical processes, does not jeopardise the stakeholders’ rights, and enhances the industry’s overall reputation. 

The Carbon Market Institute recently appointed former Clean Energy Regulator board member Virginia Malley, and regulatory and finance experts Kim Lawrence and Ross Carter as members of the inaugural Code Review Panel – an independent body that will act as an arbitrator of code compliance and appeals processes. 

The code administrator also welcomed the New South Wales Government as its second formal government partner, joining the Queensland Government in endorsing the code as a critical third-party assurance framework for developing state carbon markets. 

Esther Bailey, director for climate resilience, adaptation and net zero emissions in the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, said, “We are excited to be the second government partner supporting this important market-shaping code. 

“Strong and credible carbon markets will be vital to meeting the decarbonisation challenge, and tools like the Code will help us get there.” 

Mr Connor said, "The code has now reached a critical milestone of maturity, and with growing support from governments and industry partners, this framework is now an important foundation of Australia’s climate response.” 

The code of conduct aims to increase the quality of carbon abatement that is occurring in Australia, ensuring that projects ranging from traditional fire management in Cape York to native ecosystem regeneration projects in Tasmania all contribute positive outcomes to local employment, the environment as well as to the stakeholders involved. 

“Considering the scale and extent of climate action required to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius, carbon projects remain a critical climate solution," Mr O'Connor said.

“As this industry grows, the code will play a role in ensuring that local communities, Indigenous stakeholders and farmers can make informed decisions, are engaged in a meaningful way, and that appropriate benefit-sharing takes place. 

“The code also provides a layer of consumer protection to other market participants, providing an additional level of risk assurance to the large and multinational corporates that are increasingly purchasing carbon credits. 

“In addition, the code seeks to integrate climate repair with land and history repair – so that carbon projects contribute to healthy, resilient and pragmatic benefits to Indigenous communities that respect their native title rights. 

“We look forward to working with our expanding cohort of signatories in the coming months and raising the integrity and reputation of the industry to match the rate of growth of private and public sector investment in climate action right across the country. 

“We also look forward to engaging with our government partners and industry supporters to ensure our carbon industry can continue to contribute to Australia’s emissions targets at the highest levels of integrity, transparency and accountability possible.” 

About the Australian Carbon Industry Code of Conduct 

The Australian Carbon Industry Code of Conduct is a voluntary compliance framework that aims to promote best practice within Australia’s carbon reduction and sequestration industry. The code provides guidance for carbon service providers undertaking carbon projects including under the Emissions Reduction Fund and other Voluntary Offset Schemes in Australia 

About the CMI 

The Carbon Market Institute is the industry association for business leading the transition to net-zero emissions and has over 100 corporate members including primary producers, carbon project developers, emission intensive companies and legal, banking and advisory service providers. CMI also operates as the administrator of the Australian Carbon Industry Code of Conduct.

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