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June 2013
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COAG Standing Council on Primary Industries
Terms of Reference
COAG Standing Councils are established to:
a) achieve COAG’s strategic themes by pursuing and monitoring priority issues of national significance which require sustained, collaborative effort; and
b) address key areas of shared Commonwealth, State and Territory responsibility and funding.
The Standing Council will pursue the following COAG strategic themes as its major focus areas:
1. A National Economy driven by our Competitive Advantages
2. A Sustainable and Liveable Australia
3. Closing the Gap for Indigenous Australians
Chair
The member who represents the Commonwealth.
Membership
Commonwealth, State, Territory and New Zealand Ministers with responsibility for primary industries matters.
Scope of Standing Council
The Council is the peak forum to:
- pursue and monitor priority issues of national significance affecting Australia’s primary production sectors which require a sustained and collaborative effort across jurisdictions; and
- address key areas of shared Commonwealth, state and territory responsibility and funding for Australia’s primary production sectors.
The Council will develop and implement policies and strategies for achieving agreed national approaches to biosecurity, productivity and sustainability of primary industries (including fisheries and forestry industries) and food security. It will encourage greater collaboration and promote continuous improvement in the investment of research and development resources nationally.
Primary industries have played a critical role to date in the economic prosperity of Australia and will continue to play an important role in our future economic competitiveness.
The Council will work closely with the Standing Council on Environment and Water, recognising the key interactions and reliance of primary industries on sustainable environment, land and water resources.
Priority Issues of National Significance 1
The Council’s priority issues are:
1. Reform of the national biosecurity system
2. Promoting the ongoing productivity and sustainability of the agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries; and
3. Undertaking coordinated action across jurisdictions to strengthen long-term food security.
1 Priority issues of national significance are reform-focused and warrant oversight by Ministers and by COAG. They will change over time and do not necessarily encompass all aspects of the work of the Council.
Cross-Cutting Issues
In pursuing its priority issues of national significance, the Council will take into account the cross-cutting issues of Indigenous participation, gender equality, productivity, climate change and equal access to services and opportunities for regional communities.
Legislative and Governance Responsibilities
Responsibilities under the following instruments:
- National Primary Industries Research, Development and Extension Framework
- Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines
- Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for the Land Transport of Livestock.
The Council commits that by July 2016, specific references to the former Ministerial Council in the above governing instruments will be changed to refer instead to the ‘Ministers responsible for […...]’.
National Agreements, National Partnerships and Inter-governmental Agreements
Responsibilities under the following Intergovernmental Agreements:
- Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity
- Intergovernmental Agreement on Exceptional Circumstances Interest Rate Subsidy.
Operations
COAG considers that, as a general rule, Councils would not require more than two face to face meetings a year.
Meetings of Councils and officials will utilise the TelePresence network as much as possible to meet and to transact business, to minimise environmental impacts and meeting and travel costs.
Other operational arrangements are to be made by the Ministerial Council and do not require COAG endorsement.
Decision-Making
Councils will make decisions on the basis of consensus wherever possible, unless specific voting rules are included in relevant governing instrument(s).
Where necessary, the principle of one vote per jurisdiction would apply.
Reporting
The Council will provide COAG with an annual status report, due 31 July, on:
- the progress/completion of its priority issues against agreed milestones
- the contribution made towards meeting the Closing the Gap targets
- any additional priorities that it believes should be addressed and submitted for COAG consideration
- key outputs or achievements from other inter-jurisdictional activities; and
- decisions taken as a result of its legislative or governance responsibilities and changes made to legislation or agreements.
The Council will also provide a draft work plan for the following financial year annually by 31 May.
Inaugural Membership
| Jurisdiction | Minister/s | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth | Senator the Hon Joe Ludwig, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry | Permanent Chair |
| New South Wales | The Hon Katrina Hodgkinson, Minister for Primary Industries | Member |
| Victoria | The Hon Peter Walsh, Minister for Agriculture and Food Security | Member |
| Queensland | The Hon Tim Mulherin, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Regional Economies | Member |
| Western Australia | The Hon Terry Redman, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry The Hon Norman Moore, Minister for Fisheries |
Member |
| South Australia | The Hon Michael O’Brien, Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries | Member |
| Tasmania | Mr Bryan Green, Minister for Primary Industries and Water | Member |
| Australian Capital Territory | Mr Simon Corbell, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services (Attendance decided on a case-by-case basis) |
Member |
| Northern Territory | The Hon Kon Vatskalis, Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Resources | Member |
| New Zealand | The Hon David Carter, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry and of Biosecurity | Member |
* Where more than one member has been nominated, there will be one vote per jurisdiction