Strong local, national and global partnerships

Developing strong and productive relationships with stakeholders, industry and the community assists the department to achieve its outcomes. The foundation of collaboration, trust and respect allows the department to create partnerships for common goals.

These partnerships are strengthened by participating  in national forums relating to mining, energy, hydrogen, fisheries, agriculture, biosecurity and animal welfare, as well as supporting the minister to represent the interests of the Northern Territory (NT) through the Agriculture Ministers’ Forum (AGMIN), Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Energy Council, Legislative and Governance Forum on Gene Technology, Forestry Ministers Meeting, Fisheries Ministers Meeting and the Committee of Northern Australian Agricultural Ministers.

The department works collaboratively across the NT Government to support sustainable industry development and effective regulation, working closely with the departments of the Chief Minister, Environment and Natural Resources, Trade, Business and Innovation, Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics, NT Environment Protection Authority, Territory Generation and Power and Water Corporation.

This collaboration included:

  • initiating cross‑agency working groups to support coordination and development of major projects with a mining, petroleum, agriculture or aquaculture focus
  • establishing an interagency biosecurity working group to collaborate on key issues and policies to address risks associated with biosecurity in relation to future investment
  • continuing to provide water quality testing services to the Power and Water Corporation under a service level agreement
  • collaborating and coordinating across the NT Government and with Austrade and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to maximise support for international investment attraction activities, representing the NT in international trade and market activities.

Fisheries

  • Represented NT interests and provided input to the development of national agendas through representation on the Australian Fisheries Managers Forum and national Fisheries Research, Development and Extension Governance Committee.

Resources

  • Contributed to national working groups under the COAG Energy Council, including the Geoscience Working Group, Government Geoscience Information Committee and Upstream Petroleum Resources Working Group.
  • Participated in the Australian Hydrogen Strategy work, including attending meetings, participating in the working group and submitting a response to the discussion paper.
  • Maximised Commonwealth investment in geoscience in the NT through collaboration and co‑investment with Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future program with new collaborative agreements in place for 2019 programs.
  • Represented the NT Government on the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s (CSIRO) Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance’s NT Regional Research Advisory Committee, along with other stakeholders from the agricultural and pastoral sectors and the community, to review and approve research projects that address community concerns, issues and potential impacts as a result of onshore gas development in the NT.
  • Worked with industry, stakeholders and across government to coordinate the implementation of the Final Report of the Hydraulic Fracturing Inquiry recommendations.
  • Partnered with Australian Government, Northern Land Council and Traditional Owners of the former Rum Jungle mine site to deliver the remediation outcomes of the stage 2A partnership agreement.
  • Worked with the National Offshore Petroleum  Titles Administrator and the Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, as part of the Joint Authority, to make assessments and other administrative arrangements under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006.

Agricultural

  • Represented NT agriculture through participating in relevant NT, national and international committees, including the Research and Innovation Senior Officials Committee (under AGMIN), National Horticultural Research Network and National Drought Subcommittee.
  • Participated in the Intergovernmental Agreement on Gene Technology through the Gene Technology Standing Committee, Legislative Governance Forum on Gene Technology and Office of the Gene Technology Regulator.
  • Provided input into the development of national agendas through representation on the National Biosecurity Committee, Animal Health Committee and Plant Health Committee, and provided input into the development of a formal industry‑government aquatic emergency animal disease response agreement.
  • Coordinated on behalf of the NT Government to sign the Intergovernmental Agreement for Biosecurity in February 2019.
  • Partnered with the Australian Government to jointly fund design and construction of the upgraded Molecular Laboratory Facility under the Berrimah Farm Science Precinct development project. Design has been completed and construction is planned to commence in October 2019.
  • Collaborated with Department of Agriculture to facilitate the regulatory requirements for Batchelor Abattoir to be relisted as a Tier 2 export abattoir.
  • Established a Memorandum of Understanding between the Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy, Queensland, Western Australian and NT governments to support operational biosecurity activities.
  • Provided input on live export, including a submission to the Moss Live Export Review of Live Export Regulatory Capability and Culture, and the Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock (ASEL) review.
  • Maintained sentinel testing and surveillance for the NT Department of Health and the national Blue Tongue Virus Surveillance Program.
  • Hosted a meeting of the Screwworm Fly Surveillance and Preparedness Program steering committee in Darwin.
  • Maintained strong relationships with research and development corporations, including Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), Hort Innovation, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Grains Research and Development Corporation and AgriFutures, including:
    • collaborating with the University of Southern Queensland, Queensland and Western Australian governments and Rangelands Natural Resource Management WA on the Northern Australian Climate Program
    • commencing a project, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Florida, to remotely monitor calving using new technology. The ability to remotely monitor calving will enable collection of extra data to greatly increase knowledge about calf loss and help identify solutions
    • commencing the Palm Cow project that aims to improve the productivity of beef cattle managed under integrated palm‑cattle systems in Indonesia. This project is funded by Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and project‑managed by the University of New England.

ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19 - DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRY AND RESOURCES

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