Office of Environment and Heritage (New South Wales)

Office of Environment and Heritage
Agency overview
Formed	4 April 2011
Dissolved	Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water
Superseding agency	Department of Environment and Conservation Department of Environment and Climate Change
Type	Department
Jurisdiction	New South Wales
Minister responsible	Hon. Gabrielle Upton MP, Minister for the Environment and Minister for Heritage
Parent agency	Department of Planning and Environment
Child agencies	Anzac Memorial Building Trustee Centennial Park and Moore Park Environment Protection Authority Environmental Trust Sydney Living Museums Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust Lord Howe Island Board Luna Park Reserve Trust Marine Parks Authority National Parks and Wildlife Service Natural Resources Commission NSW Scientific Committee Parramatta Park Trust Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Sustainability Programs Division Taronga Conservation Society UrbanGrowth NSW Western Sydney Parklands Trust WSN Environmental Solutions Zoological Parks Board
Website	www.environment.nsw.gov.au

The New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH), a division of the Government of New South Wales, is responsible for the care and protection of the environment and heritage, which includes the natural environment, Aboriginal country, culture and heritage, and built heritage in New South Wales, Australia. The OEH supports the community, business and government in protecting, strengthening and making the most of a healthy environment and economy within the state. The OEH is part of the Department of Planning and Environment cluster and also manages national parks and reserves.^[1]

The acting Chief Executive of the Office of Environment and Heritage is Michael Wright; who reports to the Minister for the Environment and Minister for Heritage, the Hon. Gabrielle Upton, MP.

Structure

The Office consists of five functional areas:

National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) – manages, conserves and cares for more than 7 million hectares (17×10^⁶ acres) of land in national parks and reserves
Regional operations – delivers integrated and customer focused services at the regional and local level to strengthen communities and partnerships across the state
Heritage – provides an integrated approach to conserving Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal heritage, works with the community to list items on the State Heritage Register, declare Aboriginal Places and register state shipwrecks
Policy – provides policy advice and leading the development of strategic policy within the Office and across the government.
Science – provides scientific evidence and knowledge to underpin environmental decision making, regulation and service delivery^[2]

History

Government agencies for the protection and conservation of natural and built resources in New South Wales have existed since the appointment of the first Minister for Conservation, the Hon. Captain Bill Dunn, MLA in 1946.

The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) was formed following the merger of the Environment Protection Authority, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Botanic Gardens Trust, and Resource NSW. This agency contained the Office of Water, which was formed from the New South Wales Department of Water and Energy, formed in 2007 and dissolved in 2009; other parts and responsibilities of the Department of Water and Energy were transferred to the Division of Minerals and Energy in Industry & Investment New South Wales. At previous times DECCW was known as the Department of Environment and Conservation and the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC).

Following the election of the O'Farrell government at the 2011 state election, the functions of the DECCW were broken up with its responsibilities split between the new Office of Environment and Heritage and the residual functions managed by the Industry, Innovation and Investment Division of the Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services. The OEH was managed under the direction of the Department of Premier and Cabinet until 2014, when the Baird government changed the reporting arrangements so that the OEH now reports to the Department of Planning and Environment.

Former departmental responsibilities

The former department was responsible for:

management of flora and fauna
promotion of environmentally sustainable consumption and production
protection of the state's cultural heritage, particularly Aboriginal cultural heritage
regulation of air and water quality, noise, chemicals, radiation and waste disposal

The organisation had strong links with the Sydney Catchment Authority.

Former structure

The department was headed by Director-General Lisa Corbyn and headquartered in Sydney, with offices across the city and state.

The Office consists of seven functional areas:

Climate Change, Policy and Programs Group
Environment Protection and Regulation Group
Parks and Wildlife Group
Botanic Gardens Trust
Corporate Services Division
Culture and Heritage Division
Scientific Services Division

Although an agency of the Government of New South Wales, the Office includes a number of independent boards and committees; for example, the management of the Botanic Gardens is overseen by the Botanic Gardens Trust, and the powers of the Environment Protection Authority, as exercised by the Authority to investigate or prosecute government agencies, are formally vested in an independent board. Threatened species determinations are made by an Independent Scientific Committee. A number of advisory councils have been established to allow community members to have a say in the management of parks and reserves.

Environment protection

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) was established in February 2012 as a statutory authority. The EPA has an independent governing Board and is the primary environmental regulator for NSW. It carries out environmental protection work in a variety of areas including air and water quality, environmental incident management, contaminated land, noise, coal seam gas, native forestry, dangerous goods, hazardous waste, chemicals and pesticides, and waste and resource recovery.^[3]

Parks and wildlife

The Parks and Wildlife division is referred to in the department's external communications by its pre-merger name, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The NPWS manages over 660 protected areas in the state, including Kosciuszko National Park, Sydney Harbour National Park, Royal National Park and the Blue Mountains National Park.

With the national parks estate covering around 10 per cent of New South Wales, the department is a significant player in debates over land management in the state. The NPWS has a significant amount of responsibility for fire management in the state, and is often the target of criticism when Sydney - the so-called "city in a national park" - is threatened by bushfire. The Carr Labor government sought to significantly increase the size of the national parks estate. This was despite funding constraints, meaning that funding per unit area has fallen in recent years. A large number of parks and reserves in the NPWS estate lack detailed plans of management and fire management strategies. As a land manager, the NPWS must also address pest management issues. The status of wild horses in Kosciuszko National Park and deer in Royal National Park is particularly contested, with many park users viewing these introduced species as having heritage value.

Botanic Gardens Trust

The Botanic Gardens Trust manages four parkland areas in and around metropolitan Sydney including The Royal Botanic Gardens, The Domain, Blue Mountains Botanic Garden and the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan.

Other agencies

The department is mirrored at a national level by the Australian Department of the Environment. Some protected areas in metropolitan Sydney are protected by other agencies, including local councils, the Centennial Park Trust, the Sydney Olympic Park Trust, and the Australian Government's Sydney Harbour Federation Trust. Elsewhere in the state are protected areas managed by the Marine Parks Authority of New South Wales and the State Parks of New South Wales.

References

↑ "Who we are". New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
↑ "OEH organisation and services". NSW Environment & Heritage. Retrieved 25 February 2017. This content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
↑ "Home page". NSW EPA website.

External links

Departments and agencies of the New South Wales Government
New South Wales Government
Premier and Cabinet	Audit Office of NSW Barangaroo Delivery Authority Infrastructure NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal NSW Electoral Commission Office of the Governor NSW Institute of Sport Office of Sport Ombudsman's Office Parliamentary Counsel's Office Public Service Commission Sydney Cricket Ground Trust Sydney Olympic Park Authority International Engagement Venues NSW Veterans' Affairs
Justice	Arts NSW Art Gallery Trust Australian Museum Trust Crown Solicitor's Office Corrective Services Director of Public Prosecutions Fire and Rescue NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority Industrial Relations Commission Information and Privacy Commission Judicial Commission Juvenile Justice Legal Aid Commission Legal Profession Admission Board Liquor & Gaming NSW, formerly Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing Library Council of New South Wales Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences Ministry for Police and Emergency Services Crime Commission Office of the Rural Fire Service Office of the State Emergency Service NSW Police Force NSW Trustee and Guardian Police Integrity Commission Public Guardian Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages Screen NSW Sydney Opera House Trust
Education	Aboriginal Affairs Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards Charles Sturt University Council Macquarie University Council NSW Aboriginal Land Council Southern Cross University Council University of New England Council University of New South Wales Council University of Newcastle Council University of Technology, Sydney Council University of Wollongong Council Western Sydney University Board of Trustees
Family and Community Services	Aboriginal Housing Office Advocate for Children and Young People Ageing, Disability and Home Care Children's Guardian Community Services Home Care Service of New South Wales Housing NSW Multicultural NSW New South Wales Land and Housing Corporation
Finance, Services and Innovation	Board of Surveying and Spatial Information Building Insurers' Guarantee Corporation Building Professionals Board Geographic Names Board Government Property NSW Internal Audit Bureau Luna Park Reserve Trust Motor Accidents Authority Motor Vehicle Repair Industry Authority New South Wales Government Telecommunications Authority NSW Architects Registration Board NSW Fair Trading NSW Land and Property Information NSW Public Works (including the Government Architect) NSW Self Insurance Corporation Office of State Revenue Parliamentary Contributory Superannuation Fund Rental Bond Board Service NSW State Records Authority Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority Teacher Housing Authority of New South Wales Waste Assets Management Corporation WorkCover Authority Valuer General
Health	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Council of New South Wales Agency for Clinical Innovation Ambulance Service of NSW Bureau of Health Information Cancer Institute of New South Wales Clinical Excellence Commission Health Administration Corporation Health Care Complaints Commission Health Education and Training Institute Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network Local Health Districts x 15 Mental Health Commission Office for Women’s Policy Statutory Health Corporations x 10 Sydney Children's Hospitals Network
Industry, Skills and Regional Development	Ausgrid Chief Scientist and Engineer Cobar Water Board Crown Lands Division Dams Safety Committee Delta Electricity Department of Primary Industries Destination NSW Endeavour Energy Essential Energy Forestry Corporation of NSW Game Council Hunter Water Corporation NSW Food Authority TAFE Commission Soil Conservation Service Local Land Services NSW Rural Assistance Authority Office of Small Business Sydney Catchment Authority Sydney Water Corporation TransGrid Veterinary Practitioners Board Water NSW
Planning and Environment	Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust Environment Protection Authority Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust Lord Howe Island Board Natural Resources Commission Office of Environment and Heritage Office of Local Government Office of Western Sydney Parramatta Park Trust Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust Sydney Living Museums Taronga Conservation Society Australia UrbanGrowth NSW Western Sydney Parklands Trust
Transport	Independent Transport Safety Regulator NSW Trains Office of Transport Safety Investigations Port Authority of New South Wales RailCorp Roads & Maritime Services State Transit Authority Sydney Ferries Sydney Trains Transport for NSW WestConnex Delivery Authority
Treasury	Liability Management Ministerial Corporation Long Service Corporation NSW Treasury Corporation (TCorp) Office of Industrial Relations Residual Business Management Corporation SAS Trustee Corporation State Rail Authority Residual Holding Corporation

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