It is recommended that the Departments of Community and Health Services and Environment and Land Management develop an education program on indoor air quality requirements which targets designers, builders, building owners and managers and approving authorities.

It is recommended that the Statewide strategy for air quality management being developed under the auspices of the Environmental Management and Pollution Control Board provides a framework consistent with the implementation of the National Environment Protection Measure for ambient air quality and develops methods to identify and reduce ambient air pollution. Such methods would include:

• the application of best practice environmental management in industrial and commercial operations;
   
• the establishment of ambient air quality monitoring programmes; and
   
• the development of integrated inventories of air pollutants which prioritise pollutants according to their harmful environmental and health effects and the need for remedial action to minimise or prevent their production.
   

It is recommended that the State Government supports government actions in national forums, such as the National Road Transport Council, the National Environment Protection Council and the Australia and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council, which aim to improve the efficiency of motorised transport use and technology and the control of vehicle noise and atmospheric emissions.

It is recommended that the Department of Transport monitors global developments in non-polluting, energy efficient public and private transport and provides periodic information to the community and recommendations to the Government on practical measures that apply to Tasmania.

It is recommended that the Department of Environment and Land Management establishes a network of ambient air quality monitoring stations in priority locations.

It is recommended that the Department of Community and Health Services collects data on respiratory and related health problems to identify any links between air quality and ill-health. This programme should assess the relative importance of the contribution of indoor and outdoor pollution to ill-health and this information should be taken into account in the allocation of resources for monitoring, remediation and prevention.

It is recommended that the State Government adopts the proposed Workplace Health and Safety Regulations to give effect to the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission Exposure Standard for Atmospheric Contaminants.

It is recommended that the Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries undertakes an assessment of the extent, severity and rate of land degradation in Tasmania. The results of this assessment should be incorporated, with land use capability data, in Land Information System Tasmania (LIST) for use in the implementation of local government planning schemes and relevant State Policies, including the State Policy on the Protection of Agricultural Land.

It is recommended that Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries, in conjunction with the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association, relevant government agencies, farmers and other stakeholders, develops and implements an Agricultural Code of Practice.

It is recommended that land use capability assessment be integrated with the Tasmanian Resource Management and Planning System through the proposed State Policy on the Protection of Agricultural Land, the Planning Policy Framework and/or a Planning Note, and local government planning schemes.

It is recommended that the Government agency Tasmania Development and Resources, in consultation with the Department of Environment and Land Management, prepares and publishes a strategic plan which describes a programme, prioritised according to potential for causing environmental harm, for implementing the mining lands rehabilitation provisions of the Minerals Resources Development Act 1995.

It is recommended that the Tasmanian Government reserves under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1970 all wetlands on Crown land that are listed under the Ramsar Convention.

It is recommended that the Department of Environment and Land Management, in conjunction with any other relevant land management agency, reviews all Tasmanian wetlands on Crown land that are listed as sites of national and state significance by the Australian Nature Conservation Agency with a view to reserving those sites securely under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1970 or other legislation, such as forestry and marine resources legislation, that provides for the establishment of secure reserves.

It is recommended that the Department of Environment and Land Management prepares, for the consideration of the Land Use Planning Review Panel, a draft Planning Note which provides advice to local government on the location of wetlands so that they may be identified in, and protected through, planning schemes.

It is recommended that the Department of Environment and Land Management reviews all wetlands of international, national and state significance on private land with a view to entering into management agreements under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1970 in relation to those wetlands that have been identified as threatened or requiring rehabilitation.

It is recommended that the proposed water management policy package provides for water quantity monitoring as a basis for allocation, extraction and environmental flows.

It is recommended that water quality and water quantity information be made available to State and Local government, industry and the community through Land Information System Tasmania (LIST) at reasonable cost.

It is recommended that the proposed State Policy on Integrated Catchment Management specifically recognises and addresses potential inconsistencies between the Policy and other natural resource management legislation and codes of practice, and also provides direction for the establishment of monitoring programs.

It is recommended that the proposed water management policy package includes provisions which will ensure that on-stream construction of water storage is avoided wherever possible and that existing on-stream storage does not compromise water quality and quantity for downstream users or for the environment.

It is recommended that the proposed water management package recognises the continuity between surface and groundwater and includes a single legislative framework for managing the allocation of water resources.

It is recommended that the Tasmanian Government directs the Departments of Primary Industry and Fisheries and Environment and Land Management to prepare a draft State Policy on the Protection of Remnant Native Vegetation.

It is recommended that the Department of Environment and Land Management makes available information derived from climate change/species modelling programmes, such as those developed under the auspices of the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council, to be used in the preparation of species/habitat reservation and conservation management strategies.

It is recommended that the Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries and the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service develop performance measures and report annually on the effectiveness of the barrier control systems. The measures and reporting should describe the successes and failures of the barrier control systems.

It is recommended that the Tasmanian Government conducts a public review into the effectiveness of the operation of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1970, the Forest Practices Act 1985 and the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 in establishing agreements and conservation covenants with private landowners to protect threatened species habitat.

It is recommended that:

1. as an interim measure pending the fulfilment of part (ii) of this recommendation, the Land Use Planning Review Panel, in accordance with section 34(2) of the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993 directs that all planning schemes be amended to include maps of critical habitat as determined under the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995, and requires local government, upon receipt of an application to undertake works on land involving remnant native vegetation that is identified, either wholly or partly, as critical habitat, to refer the matter of protecting that habitat to the Director of National Parks and Wildlife;and that
    
2. the State Policy on the Protection of Remnant Native Vegetation recommended in this State of the Environment report (Recommendation 13) includes maps of critical habitat as determined under the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995, and requires local government, upon receipt of an application to undertake works on land involving remnant native vegetation that is identified, either wholly or partly, as critical habitat, to refer the matter of protecting that habitat to the Director of National Parks and Wildlife.
    

It recommended that the Department of Environment and Land Management acts upon a recommendation of the Public Land Use Commission Inquiry into Tasmanian Crown Land Classifications to undertake a systematic assessment of public reserves under the Crown Lands Act 1976 to determine whether the classification of each reserve is appropriate (in terms of its values and uses) and whether any land may be available for disposal.

It is recommended that the Department of Environment and Land Management develops a strategy to implement an off-reserve biodiversity conservation program through the use of appropriate management planning and cooperative arrangements.

It is recommended that the Department of Environment and Land Management and the Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries undertake a programme to assess systematically the adequacy of the reserve system, with a view to conserving more fully the range of biodiversity in terrestrial and marine environments.

It is recommended that the principles of the Tasmanian Code for Residential Development (TASCORD) be included as a priority schedule as part of the implementation of the Model Planning Scheme.

It is recommended that the Department of Environment and Land Management reviews the operation of waste minimisation and litter control strategies currently in operation in other Australian States with a view to the development of policies that can be utilised in Tasmania. This review should include an investigation into the desirability or otherwise of the introduction of container deposit legislation.

It is recommended that the Contaminated Sites Management System ensures that:

1. environmental and health risks arising from the use of contaminated land are identified and the necessary remediation is undertaken;
    
2. any change in the use of contaminated land to a more sensitive use includes an evaluation of the potential for adverse health and environmental impacts to enable necessary remediation to be undertaken;
    
3. for orphan sites which constitute a health or environmental risk, the Department of Environment and Land Management can undertake the necessary remediation and recover the associated costs as a charge against the land; and
    
4. Land Information System Tasmania (LIST) is capable of identifying those properties on which potentially contaminating activities have occurred.
    

It is recommended that the Department of Environment and Land Management prepares an industrial estate catalogue which identifies current and potential industrial areas in the State and describes their environmental constraints and capabilities for particular industry types.

It is recommended that the Department of Environment and Land Management prepares a draft which provides advice to local government to assist in meeting the cultural heritage objectives of the Resource Management and Planning System (Part 2 (g) of Schedule 1 of the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993) in the preparation of planning schemes.

It is recommended that the State Government initiates the preparation and implementation of Port Authority Management Plans as required by the State Policy on Water Quality Management 1997. Port Authority Management Plans should address State and National quarantine requirements and include a code of practice for ballast water discharge and hull and equipment cleaning.

It is recommended that the Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries and the Department of Environment and Land Management accelerate the collection of biophysical data on the coastal and marine environment, including:

• the establishment of monitoring programmes, including permanent monitoring sites, along Tasmania's coast;
   
• reviews of the conservation status of coastal and marine species with a view to recommending appropriate resource management and conservation measures; and
   
• the establishment of a comprehensive Statewide database of coastal and marine species and ecosystems which would, in due course, be incorporated in Land Information System Tasmania (LIST).
   

It is recommended that the State Government forms the Coastal Policy Advisory Committee as a priority.

It is recommended that all the data sets on Land Information System Tasmania (LIST) be available to the general community at reasonable cost.

It is recommended that the objectives of the Resource Management and Planning System be included in all of Tasmania's natural resource management legislation and that there be a requirement to further these objectives in the operation of each Act, including:

• Crown Lands Act 1976
   
• National Parks and Wildlife Act 1970
   
• Forestry Act 1920
   
• Forest Practices Act 1985
   
• Local Government Act 1993
   
• Mineral Resources Development Act 1995
   

and future natural resource management legislation, including the proposed water management legislation.

It is recommended that the Department of Environment and Land Management develops performance measures for the Resource Management and Planning System and that authorities responsible for the administration of natural resource management legislation develop performance measures specific to their legislation. Performance reporting on the individual pieces of legislation should form part of the relevant authority's annual report.

It is recommended the Department of Environment and Land Management and the Tasmanian Fire Service develop a geographic information system (GIS) program. The programme should have the capacity to integrate information on vegetation types, fuel accumulation characteristics, topography and combustion physics algorithms to produce maps showing fire intensity potential which can be used in planning schemes to control residential use and development in bushfire prone areas. Such a programme would use available GIS technology and Land Information System Tasmania (LIST).

It is recommended that the State of the Environment Unit promulgates an action plan to enhance community understanding of the principles and recommendations of this State of the Environment report.

It is recommended that the Department of Environment and Land Management, in consultation with Forestry Tasmania and the Tasmanian Fire Service, makes available information from research into the ecological and physical factors associated with fire to enable the development of fire management regimes that are consistent with land management objectives and biodiversity conservation strategies.