'Crying for our Country': Eight ways in which 'Caring for our Country' has undermined Australia's regional model for natural resource management

Australasian Journal of Environmental Management

Volumn 18, Issue 2, 2011, Pages 88-108

  Robins, L ^a,b   Kanowski, P ^a  

^a AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY   (Australia)

^b Robins Consulting   (Australia)

Author keywords

Caring for our country; Governance landcare; National action plan for salinity and water quality; Natural heritage trust; Natural resource management

Indexed keywords

COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS; GOVERNANCE APPROACH; HERITAGE CONSERVATION; NATURAL RESOURCE; POLICY IMPLEMENTATION; REGIONAL PLANNING; RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT; RESOURCE MANAGEMENT;

AUSTRALIA;

EID: 79960812120     PISSN: 14486563     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/14486563.2011.566158     Document Type: Article

References (106)

1. ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2010, 5673.0.55.003 - wage and salary earner statistics for small areas, time series, 2003-04 to 2007-08, ABS, Canberra.
2. ACT Natural Resource Management Council 2008, Submission 21, inquiry into natural resource management and conservation challenges, Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport, Parliament of Australia, Canberra, viewed 6 October 2010, .
3. Agriculture and Food Policy Reference Group 2006, Creating our future: agriculture and food policy for the next generation, ABARE, Canberra.
4. Alexander, J, Roberts, A & Pannell, D 2010, 'Victorian catchment management approaches to salinity: learning from the National Action Plan experience', Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 45-52.
5. ANAO (Australian National Audit Office) 1997, Commonwealth natural resource management and environment programs, Audit Report no. 36 1996-97, Australian National Audit Office, Canberra.
6. ANAO (Australian National Audit Office) 1998, Preliminary inquiries into the National Heritage Trust, Audit Report no. 42 1997-98, Australian National Audit Office, Canberra.
7. ANAO (Australian National Audit Office) 2001, Performance information on Commonwealth financial assistance under the Natural Heritage Trust, Audit Report no. 43 2000-01, ANAO, Canberra.
8. ANAO (Australian National Audit Office) 2004, The administration of the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality, Audit Report no. 17 2004-05, ANAO, Canberra.
9. ANAO (Australian National Audit Office) 2008, Regional delivery model for the National Heritage Trust and the National Plan for Salinity and Water Quality, Audit Report no. 21 2007-08, ANAO, Canberra.
10. ARC (Australian Research Council) 2009, Annual Report 2008-09, ARC, Canberra, viewed 10 October 2010,
11. Australian Government 2008a, Caring for our Country, fact sheet, Australian Government, Canberra, viewed 6 October 2010, .
12. Australian Government 2008b, Caring for our Country: questions and answers, fact sheet, March 2008, Australian Government, Canberra.
13. Australian Government 2009a, $403 million investment for the Australian environment & sustainable agriculture, joint media release, The Hon. Peter Garrett MP (Australian Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts) & The Hon. Tony Burke MP (Australian Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry), 2 July 2009, Australian Government, Canberra, viewed 6 October 2010, .
14. Australian Government 2009b, Caring for our Country funding announced: business plan 2009-10 successful projects base-level funding, Funding allocation tables, Australian Government, Canberra, viewed 2 February 2010, .
15. Australian Government 2009c, Caring for our Country funding announced: business plan 2009-10 competitive process successful projects, funding allocation tables, Australian Government, Canberra, viewed 6 October 2010, .
16. Australian Government 2009d, Budget paper No. 2. Budget measures 2009-10, Australian Government, Canberra, viewed 6 October 2010, .
17. Australian Government no datc-a, Caring for our Country: a better outcome for Australia's environment and natural resources, fact sheet, Australian Government, Canberra, viewed 6 October 2010, .
18. Australian Government no date-b, Caring for our Country, fact sheet, Australian Government, Canberra, viewed 6 October 2010, .
19. Australian Government no date-c, Caring for our Country: regional delivery, fact sheet, Australian Government, Canberra, viewed 6 October 2010, .
20. Australian Public Service Commission APSC 2007, Tackling wicked problems: a public policy perspective, APSC, Canberra.
21. AWT 1999, Mid-term review of the Natural Heritage Trust - a review of the National River Health Program, Australian Water Technologies, Melbourne.
22. AWT & Hassall & Associates 1999, Mid-term review of the Natural Heritage Trust - Fisheries Action Program, Australian Water Technologies, Melbourne.
23. Barr, N, Ridges, S, Anderson, N, Gray, I, Crockett, J, Watson, B & Hall, N 2000, Adjusting for catchment management, Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Canberra.
24. Berwick, M 2009, Committee Hansard (13 November 2009, p. 4), inquiry into natural resource management and conservation challenges, Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport, the Senate, Parliament House, Canberra.
25. Bowen, C 2008, The Rudd Government's economic agenda address to CEDA's 2008 State of the Nation Conference Canberra, 5 June 2008, The Treasury, Canberra, viewed 14 October 2010, .
26. Breckwoldt, R 1999, Mid-term review of the National Heritage Trust - National Wetlands Program, Resource Policy and Management Pty Ltd, Canberra.
27. Broderick, K 2005, 'Communities in catchments: implications for natural resource management', Geographical Research, vol. 43, pp. 286-296. (Pubitemid 41801150)
28. Buxton Connections 1999, Mid term review of the Natural Heritage Trust - Waterwatch program, Buxton Connections, Melbourne.
29. Byron, I 2004, 'Assessing and managing burnout in landcare members, leaders and coordinators', PhD thesis, Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW
30. Campbell, A 2006, The Australian natural resource management knowledge system, Land & Water Australia, Canberra.
31. Campbell, A 2009, 'It's time to renew Landcare', Agricultural Science, vol. 2, pp. 30-33.
32. Campbell, A 2010, 'Murray murmurings: rethinking the Basin Plan', Crikey, 16 November 2010, Crikey, Melbourne, viewed 27 January 2011, .
33. Campbell, A & Schofield, N 2007, The getting of knowledge - a guide to funding and managing applied research, Land & Water Australia, Canberra.
34. Campbell, CA 1994, Landcare - communities shaping the land and the future, Allen and Unwin, Sydney.
35. Commonwealth of Australia 1997, Natural Heritage Trust - a better environment for Australia in the 21st century, Environment Australia, Canberra & Department of Primary Industries and Energy, Canberra.
36. Commonwealth of Australia 2000a, Australian dryland salinity assessment 2000, National Land and Water Resources Audit, Canberra.
37. Commonwealth of Australia 2000b, Co-ordinating catchment management, report of the Inquiry into Catchment Management by the House of Representations Standing Committee on Environment and Heritage, Canberra.
38. Commonwealth of Australia 2001a, Assessment of river condition 2001, National Land and Water Resources Audit, Canberra.
39. Commonwealth of Australia 2001b, Australian agricultural assessment 2001, National Land and Water Resources Audit, Canberra.
40. Commonwealth of Australia 2001c, Australian native vegetation assessment 2001, National Land and Water Resources Audit, Canberra.
41. Commonwealth of Australia 2001d, National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality, Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry Australia, Canberra.
42. Commonwealth of Australia 2008, Caring for our country: business plan 2009-2010, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Canberra & the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Canberra.
43. Commonwealth of Australia 2009, Caring for our country: business plan 2010-2011, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Canberra & the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Canberra.
44. Commonwealth of Australia 2010, Natural resource management and conservation challenges, The Senate Standing Committee on Rural & Regional Affairs & Transport, Department of the Senate, Parliament House, Canberra.
45. Compton, E, Prager, K & Beeton, B 2009, 'Landcare bowling alone: finding a future in the 'fourth' phase', in M Lane, C Robinson & B Taylor (eds), Contested country: local and regional natural resource management in Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, pp. 147-160.
46. Council of Australian Governments 2000, Our vital resources: a National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra.
47. CSIRO & Bureau of Meteorology 2004, Scientific advice on natural resource management, report to the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Canberra & the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), Canberra, viewed 6 October 2010, .
48. Curtis, A 2003, 'The Landcare experience', in S Dovers & S Wild River (eds), Managing Australia's environment, The Federation Press, Sydney, pp. 442-460.
49. Curtis, A, Lucas, D, Nurse, M & Skeen, M 2008, Achieving NRM outcomes through voluntary action: lessons from landcare, discussion paper, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW & Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environment, Melbourne.
50. Curtis, A & Race, D 1997, Evaluation of the One Billion Trees program: Greening Australia 1995-1997, commissioned report for Greening Australia Ltd, Canberra & Environment Australia, Canberra.
51. Curtis, A & Sample, R 2010, CBNRM in Victoria: contributing to dialogue, learning and action, report to the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Melbourne, Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW.
52. Dames & Moore NRM 1999, NHT mid term review - National Landcare Program, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Australia, Canberra.
53. Darbas, T, Smith, TF & Jakku, E 2009, 'Seeing engagement practitioners as deliberative hinges to improve landholder engagement', in M Lane, C Robinson & B Taylor (eds), Contested country: local and regional natural resource management in Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, pp. 111-127.
54. Davidson, J & Lockwood, M 2009, 'Interrogating devolved natural resource management: challenges for good governance', in M Lane, C Robinson & B Taylor (eds), Contested country: local and regional natural resource management in Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, pp. 75-89.
55. Davidson, J, Lockwood, M, Griffith, R, Curtis, A & Stratford, E 2008, Status and good practice in Australian NRM governance, Report no. 5, University of Tasmania, Hobart.
56. Department of Parliamentary Services DPS 2009, Research paper: Budget review 2009-10. 29 May 2009, no. 33, 2008-09, DPS, Canberra, viewed 6 October 2010, .
57. DEWHA (Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts) & DAFF Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry 2008, Caring for our Country: business plan 2009-2010, DEWHA, Canberra & DAFF, Canberra.
58. Dovers, S 2008, 'Policy and institutional reforms', in D Lindenmayer, S Dovers, M Harriss Olson & S Morton (eds), Ten commitments: reshaping the lucky country's environment, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, pp. 215-223.
59. DSE (Department of Sustainability and Environment) 2008, Securing our natural future, A white paper for land and biodiversity at a time of climate change, Fact Sheet 7, DSE, Melbourne.
60. Earl, G & Cresswell, H 2005, Learning from the Heartlands experience, CSIRO Land & Water, Canberra.
61. EA (Environment Australia) & AFFA (Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Australia) 2002, Natural Heritage Trust-guidelines for interim regional arrangements, Environment Australia, Canberra & Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Australia, Canberra, viewed 6 October 2010, .
62. Farley, R & Toyne, P 1989, A national land management program', Australian Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, vol. II, pp. 6-9.
63. Farrelly, M 2009, 'Community engagement in natural resource management: experiences from the Natural Heritage Trust Phase 2', in M Lane, C Robinson & B Taylor (eds), Contested country: local and regional natural resource management in Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, pp. 129-145.
64. Gillard, J and Labor Party, no date, Green Corridors Plan, authorised by N Martin for the Australian Labor Party, 5/9 Sydney Ave, Barton, ACT.
65. Gunningham, N 2009, 'Environmental law, regulation and governance: shifting architectures', Journal of Environmental Law, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 179-212.
66. Head, B & Ryan, N 2004, 'Can co-governance work? Regional natural resource management in Queensland, Australia', Society and Economy, vol. 26, pp. 361-382.
67. interPART and Associates, Aha! Consulting & Robins Consulting 2009, Review of the value of WA Regional NRM Groups in delivering NRM, report for the Regional Chairs Collective Group, Western Australia.
68. ITS Global 2006, Evaluation of the bilateral agreements for the regional component of the Natural Heritage Trust of Australia: final report, ITS Global, Melbourne.
69. Keogh, K, Chant, D & Frazer, B 2006, Review of arrangements for regional delivery of natural resource management programmes, report prepared by the Ministerial Reference Group for Future NRM Programme Delivery, Australian Government NRM Team, Canberra.
70. Kerin, J 2010, What policy framework would I now establish for agricultural research, development and extension if I were still Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry?, Speech at the University of Melbourne, May 5 2010.
71. Knowledge for Regional NRM Team 2006, Improving the NRM knowledge system for regions, Land & Water Australia, Canberra.
72. Lane, M 2006, Critical issues in regional natural resource management, paper prepared for the 2006 Australian State of the Environment Committee, Department of the Environment and Heritage, Canberra, viewed 7 February 2011, .
73. Lane, M, Haygreen, A, Morrison, T & Woodlands, J 2009, 'Will regionalisation achieve integrated natural resource management? Insights from recent South Australian experience', in M Lane, C Robinson & B Taylor (eds), Contested country: local and regional natural resource management in Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, pp. 59-74.
74. Lane, M & Robinson, C 2009, 'Institutional complexity and environmental management: the challenge of integration and the promise of large-scale collaboration', Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 16-24.
75. Lockwood, M, Davidson, J, Curtis, A, Griffith, R & Stratford, E 2007, Strengths and challenges of regional NRM governance: interviews with key players and insights from the literature, Report 4 of the project pathways to good practice in regional NRM governance, University of Tasmania, Hobart.
76. Marshall, G 2008, 'Nesting, subsidiarity, and community-based environmental governance beyond the local level', International Journal of the Commons, vol. 2, pp. 75-97.
77. Marshall, G 2009, 'Can community-based NRM work at the scale of large regions? Exploring the roles of nesting and subsidiarity', in M Lane, C Robinson & B Taylor, B (eds), Contested country: local and regional natural resource management in Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, pp. 43-57.
78. Marshall, GR & Stafford Smith, DM 2010, 'Natural resources governance for the drylands of the Murray-Darling Basin', The Rangeland Journal, vol. 32, pp. 267-282.
79. Moore, SA & Rockloff, SF 2006, 'Organizing regionally for natural resource management in Australia: reflections on agency and government', Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, vol. 8, pp. 259-277. (Pubitemid 44521904)
80. Natural Resources Commission (NRC) 2006, Progress of catchment action plans: their place in current and future natural resource management in NSW, NRC, Sydney.
81. Natural Resources Commission (NRC) 2008, Progress report on effective implementation of Catchment Action Plans, NRC, Sydney.
82. Pannell, D, Ridley, A, Seymour, E, Marsh, S & Wilkinson, R 2008, Capacity building in regional NRM - issues in planning, priorisation and implementation of environmental works at regional level, report for the Cooperative Venture for Capacity Building, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, Canberra.
83. Pannell, DJ & Roberts, AM 2010, 'Australia's National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality: a retrospective assessment', Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, vol. 54, no. 4, pp. 437-456.
84. Paton, S, Curtis, A, McDonald, GT & Woods, M 2004, 'Regional natural resource management: is it sustainable? Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 9, pp. 205-217.
85. Powell, JM 1993, The emergence of regionalism in the Murray-Darling Basin, Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Canberra.
86. Productivity Commission 2010, Rural Research and Development Corporations, draft inquiry report, Productivity Commission, Canberra.
87. Robins, L 2007, 'Major paradigm shifts in NRM in Australia', International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 300-311. (Pubitemid 351301188)
88. Robins, L 2009, 'Insiders versus outsiders: perspectives on capacity issues to inform policy and programmes', Local Environment, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 45-59.
89. Robins, L 2010, 'National grants: a mechanism for embedding decentralized governance arrangements for watershed management', Horizons, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 64-68.
90. Robins, L & Dovers, S 2007a, 'Community-based NRM boards of management: are they up to the task?', Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 111-122. (Pubitemid 47050240)
91. Robins, L & Dovers, S 2007b, 'NRM regions in Australia: the "haves" and the "have nots'", Geographical Research, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 273-290.
92. RIRDC (Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation) 2009, RIRDC completed projects in 2007-2008 and research in progress as at June 2008 - Cooperative Venture for Capacity Building, RIRDC Publication no. 09/051, RIRDC, Canberra.
93. Rural R&D Corporations 2006, Response to the Productivity Commission draft science and innovation report, Rural R&D Corporations, Canberra.
94. Ryan, S, Broderick, K, Sneddon, Y & Andrews, K 2010, Australia's NRM governance systemfoundations and principles for meeting future challenges, Australian Regional NRM Chairs, Canberra.
95. Scott, A & Olley, J 2003, Settlement, erosion and muddy waters: lessons from the past, Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Canberra.
96. Seymour, E, Pannell, D, Roberts, A, Marsh, S & Wilkinson, R 2008, 'Decision-making by regional bodies for natural resource management in Australia: current processes and capacity gaps', Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 15, pp. 211-221.
97. Siewert, R 2008, Caring for our country - or is it?, ABC News, Sydney, 24 June 2008, viewed on 10 October 2010, .
98. Sinclair Knight Merz 1999, Mid-term review of the Natural Heritage Trust - a report on the Farm Forestry program, Sinclair Knight Merz, Tatura, Victoria.
99. Sinclair Knight Merz 2006, Evaluation of salinity outcomes of regional investment: final report, prepared for the Department of the Environment and Heritage, Canberra & Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Canberra, Sinclair Knight Merz, Bendigo, Victoria.
100. Stafford Smith, M & Cribb, J 2009, Dry times: blueprint for a red land, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
101. Steffen, W, Burbidge, A, Hughes, L, Kitching, R, Lindenmayer, D, Musgrave, W, Stafford Smith, M & Werner, P 2009, Australia's biodiversity and climate change: summary for policy makers 2009, Department of Climate Change, Canberra.
102. Walker, G, Gilfedder, M, Evans, R, Dyson, P & Stauffacher, M 2003, Groundwater flow systems framework: essential tools for planning salinity management, Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Canberra.
103. Walker, G, Gilfedder, M & Williams, J 1999, Effectiveness of current farming systems in the control of dryland salinity, CSIRO Land & Water, Canberra.
104. Wallington, TJ, Lawrence, G & Loechel, B 2008, 'Reflections on the legitimacy of regional environmental governance: lessons from Australia's experiment in natural resource management', Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, vol. 10, pp. 1-30.
105. WalterTurnbull 2005, Evaluation of current governance arrangements to support regional investment under the NHT and NAP, Department of Environment and Heritage, Canberra & Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Canberra.
106. Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists WGCS 2008, Accounting for nature - a model for building the national environmental accounts of Australia, WGCS, Sydney.