AELERT Governance
Steering Committee
AELERT’s primary governing body is the AELERT Steering Committee.
The Steering Committee consists of an executive, jurisdictional representatives and chairs of the various Clusters.
The Australian Government, New Zealand Central Government, and all Australian states and territories are represented on the Steering Committee.
The AELERT Steering Committee is accountable to two Ministerial Councils which exist under the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) framework. These are the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) and the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (NRMMC).
The Steering Committee generally meets three times a year, in February, July and at the annual conference (typically around September to November). It also undertakes ongoing governance activities out-of-session.
The AELERT Steering Committee is supported by a full-time Project Officer within the Secretariat, which is housed within the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts in Canberra, ACT.
The Project Officer position is funded by contributions from AELERT member jurisdictions in accordance with the standard COAG funding model.
To see more on AELERT’s governance regime and how you can participate, click on this diagrammatic representation of How AELERT Works
Executive
Chair: Greg Sullivan, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (NSW)
Vice-Chair: Greg Reid, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (New Zealand Central Government)
Secretary: Grant Pink, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (Australian Government)
Treasurer: Greg Reid, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (New Zealand Central Government)
Secretariat Project Officer: James Lehane, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (Australian Government)
Jurisdictional Representatives
Australian Government: Rose Webb, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
New Zealand Central Government: Greg Reid, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Australian Capital Territory: Daniel Walters, Department of the Environment, Climate Change, Energy and Water
New South Wales: Lynne Neville, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water
Northern Territory: Brett Easton, Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport
Queensland: Natasha Patterson, Department of Environment and Resource Management
South Australia: John Winkworth, Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation
Tasmania: Malcolm Budd, Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment
Victoria: Peter Tange, EPA Victoria
Western Australia: Sonya Krishnan, Department of Environment and Conservation
Cluster Representatives
Better Regulation Chair: Lynne Neville, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (NSW)
Capacity Building Chair: Stephen Barry, Environment Protection Authority (SA)
Legal Practice Chair: Sonya Krishnan, Department of Environment and Conservation (WA)
Operational Chair: Rick Burton, Department of Sustainability and Environment (VIC)
Special Projects Chair: Pending - currently to report to AELERT Executive and allocated Project Leaders
The Better Regulation Cluster (Compliance and Audit Sub-Committee)
The Compliance and Audit Sub-Committee (CASC) was created in July of 2006, because it was felt by some of the membership that the important role that compliance and audit plays in environmental enforcement neded to be appropriately recognised. Many environmental regulatory agencies have a compliance monitoring function, separate from their investigation teams. In an effort to encourage best practice standards in the use of compliance audit, the then National Committee unanimously supported the creation of the CASC.
One of the CASC’s first roles is to scope the development of an accreditation process which could be adopted for use nationally across the AELERT network. Other aims of the sub-committee will be to develop audit standards for environmental auditors which will enhance staff skill portability and the potential for cross-agency audits. It would also provide a forum for the discussion of relevant topics and in the spirit of AELERT, promote the exchange of information.
The CASC is now the Better Regulation Cluster.
The Capacity Building Cluster (Training Sub-Committee (TSC))
The Capacity Building Cluster comprises of representatives from almost every State and Territory. It conducts its business with quarterly teleconferences and attempts to meet face to face at least once per year. Its work to date has focussed upon developing and customising of current National Training Standards at the Certificate IV level for the environmental regulators (Cert IV in Statutory Compliance and Cert IV in Investigations) and the development and facilitating the delivery of the Diploma in Government (Investigations).
The current work plan of the Capacity Building Cluster involves;
- advocating the further adoption and customization of these packages by (AELERT) partner agencies to meet
their specific organisational and operational needs, and - then working with Tertiary institutions in an effort that the above qualifications can then articulate into an
appropriate Gradate Certificate qualification.