In July 2011, the NSW Government commenced a comprehensive review of the state’s planning system, with the aim of creating a new planning system that is more strategic and streamlined and which facilitates sustainable economic growth and upfront community participation. In July 2012, the government released ‘A New Planning System for New South Wales - Green Paper’ which set out the major proposed reforms and responded to an Independent Review. Since then, there has been stakeholder engagement to develop the White Paper – A new planning system for NSW that sets out the details on how the new system will be implemented, and accompanying draft legislation. Public feedback is invited by 28 June 2013.
The new Look Learn Act campaign is highlighting the impacts of weeds on everyone in northern NSW through TV and radio advertising and social media, and encouraging people to identify and report new weed infestations through the innovative website www.looklearnact.com. The campaign is being coordinated by the North Coast Weeds Advisory Committee (NCWAC) which hopes to see it expanded statewide.
This year Sydney Water celebrates its history, people and contributions to Sydney since 1888. In 1888, Sydney did not have adequate water and sewerage services and was at the mercy of limited water supply, droughts and sanitation problems causing serious health issues, including an outbreak of typhoid fever. Today, Sydney Water is Australia’s largest water utility and operates more than 21,000 kilometres of water pipes, 269 reservoirs, 24,000 kilometres of wastewater pipes and over 800 pumping stations.
Hosted by the Dubbo environmental education network, the 31st NSW Environmental Education Conference has the theme of ‘Contributing to Global Hope: Interconnectedness between Rural and Urban Landscapes’. The mission for this conference is to create links and understandings between rural people/landscapes and others. The focus will be on hands-on learning and interactivity. The call for papers is open until 10 May 2013.
The theme for the 22nd NSW Coastal Conference is ‘Valuing our Coastal Zone, Planning our Future, What’s the big picture?’ The annual conference attracts delegates interested in or working within the field of coastal and estuary management research, education, service provision and policy as well as representatives from government, industry, business, user groups and community volunteer organisations. Presentation abstracts are invited by Friday 28 June 2013.
The NSW Centre for Volunteering invites you to join fellow volunteer managers and coordinators at the 2013 Ignite Volunteering Conference. The day will comprise of a mixture of plenary sessions, interactive workshops, panels and case studies, all focusing on the theme of ‘Consult and Collaborate’.
The draft Metropolitan Strategy for Sydney sets out a new plan for the city’s future over the next two decades, with Sydney expected to have around 1.3 million additional people by 2031. You can play an important role in shaping Sydney’s future by having your say on these plans by 31 May 2013.
The 2013 NSW Landcare and Catchment Management Forum will showcase sustainability, Landcare and volunteering. Coordinated by the Hunter-Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority in partnership with other organisations and agencies, the forum will be held in Newcastle with a number of field trips conducted around the region to showcase the environmental values and the amazing work being done by community groups, individuals and agencies to protect and enhance it.
The NSW Environmental Trust is an independent statutory body established by the NSW government to fund a broad range of organisations to undertake projects that enhance the environment of NSW. Applications for a wide range of NSW Environmental Trust grants are now invited:
The NSW State of the Environment (SoE) 2012 reports on the status of the main environmental issues facing NSW. SoE reports are prepared every three years following the Pressure – State (or condition) – Response (PSR) framework originally developed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for state of the environment reporting. SoE 2012 aims to provide credible, scientifically based, statewide environmental information to assist those involved in environmental policy- and decision-making and managing the state’s natural resources.