Annual Report

Transcription

1 Our member groups Australian Youth Climate Coalition: an action-based coalition focussed on empowering young people in their local communities to create change on a national scale. Climate Action Hobart: a volunteer, grassroots climate action group formed to promote community involvement in achieving strong climate policy and action in Tasmania. Florentine Protection Society Inc: an apolitical, not-for-profit community organisation with the main purpose of preserving Tasmania s ancient forests, including the forests of the Upper Florentine Valley. Frack Free TAS: are a community group dedicated to raising awareness of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and demanding a permanent ban on fracking in Tasmania. Friends of the Great Western Tiers: work to achieve the lasting and effective protection of the natural and cultural values of the Great Western Tiers. Great Western Tiers National Park Campaign: work to gain National Park status for the Great Western Tiers. Lake Pedder Restoration Incorporated: campaign to restore Lake Pedder in the heart of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. 20 Mole Creek Caving Club: go caving mostly at Mole Creek, but also in other cave areas in the state. They find, explore, photograph, survey and document caves, and also undertake research. Nature Photographers Tasmania: a professional organisation whose aim is to facilitate and promote the use of photography for the protection of nature in Tasmania, and elsewhere. North East Bioregional Network: promote a long-term and consistent nature ethic based on an understanding that all of nature is important. Their key purpose is to develop and implement the Linking Landscapes vision in North East Tasmania. North East Tasmania Land Trust Inc: a community-based group that preserves, enhances and protects the natural environment in North East Tasmania by acquiring and managing land of significant ecological value. Ocean Planet Tasmania Inc: promotes the protection of Tasmania s marine environment and wildlife. Peak Oil Tasmania: work to raise awareness of peak oil and to promote the transition to an oil-free society. Peninsula Environmental Network: work to promote nature conservation on the Tasman Peninsula. Save Our Sisters: campaign for protection of the South Sister, near St Marys, from logging and other threats. PO Box 1073, Hobart TAS 7001 (03) st Floor, 100 Elizabeth St, Hobart TAS 7000 info@et.org.au facebook.com/environmenttasmania Spirit of Bruny: support the community of Bruny Island in requesting Forestry Tasmania to remove the swift parrot habitat forests from their logging lists. Tarkine National Coalition Inc: campaign for the protection of the Tarkine wilderness area in the North-West corner of Tasmania, including one of the world s most significant remaining tracts of temperate rainforest. Tasmanian National Parks Association Inc: seek to preserve and expand Tasmania s national parks, and to ensure appropriate management of their natural and cultural values in the long term interests of conservation. The Wilderness Society Inc: campaign to protect and promote wilderness values, and to transform Australian into a society that protects, respects and connects with the natural world that sustains us. West Wellington Protection Group: campaigns to protect the West Wellington range, adjoining Wellington Park s Western and South-Western boundaries, from logging. Proud member Annual Report

2 Chair s report I am very pleased to present the 2016 Environment Tasmania s Chair s report. This year has seen a significant organisational transition for Environment Tasmania in a difficult political environment. All environmental non-government organisations go through ebb and flow cycles depending upon the political cycles and I am pleased to have been part of a team that has navigated this period and increased the sustainability of the organisation in the process. This year, Environment Tasmania has set a bold new strategic direction, and has also successfully transitioned the structure of the organisation to be able to deliver on this new direction. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Management Committee and staff for their vision, commitment and confidence throughout this period. I would also like to thank our members groups, who are the vital link to local issues and implementer s of grass roots activism. I thank them for their work and for being part of this awesome statewide environmental network we have in Tasmania. Environment Tasmania s campaign team, under the guidance of our Strategy Director, has had significant wins in both the forest and marine areas. Significantly alongside these campaign wins she has successfully built a team of supporters through online engagement that is delivering us a more sustainable income source. This work is well supported by our Business Manager. Environment Tasmania also delivers project work through Australian Government grants. I am delighted about the progress of these projects; they deliver real on ground changes via restoration and walking tracks, and as a result, build upon the campaign work our forest team successfully undertook in the World Heritage Area extension. I would like to thank our dedicated staff and volunteer team. They are a passionate team who are committed to getting it right and to making big changes to environmental outcomes in our state. Finally I would like to thank our donors and supporters, without whose generosity and understanding that successful campaigns take a long time and cost a lot of money, we could not do the work that we do. Jodie Epper Chair Strategy Director s report It s been an epic year for Environment Tasmania, where our supporters and staff have done everything from hands-on forest restoration work to preventing logging in World Heritage listed rainforests and delivering a temporary ban on super trawlers. Environment Tasmania was part of the alliance that successfully campaigned to block government plans to allow logging in Tasmania s Wilderness World Heritage area. Our presentations to UNESCO and the public support we built for protecting Tassie forests, led to the Tasmanian Government s announcement in March that they would respect UNESCO s recommendations and abandon plans to log World Heritage rainforests. At the same time as defending against further threats to World Heritage, Environment Tasmania got out into the bush to restore former logging coupes in the new World Heritage extension. And that s just on land. Over the year our Stop the Trawler team held 21 rallies across Australia, mobilised 230,000 people to petition the Australia Government and 52,000 people to petition their local MPs to ban factory trawlers in Australia. The team won a temporary ban that stopped the Geelong Star super trawler from fishing off the NSW coast for 6 months. We also delivered a temporary ban on night fishing, which stopped the Geelong Star from fishing under the cover of darkness when most protected marine animals are killed for 3 months. Environment Tasmania persuaded members of Prime Minister Turnbull s own government, like Liberal MPs Sarah Henderson and Bob Baldwin, to demand a permanent ban on super trawlers. Our campaign in NSW got Primary Industries Minister, Niall Blair to demand that Prime Minister Turnbull review his super trawler position. And federal politicians that refused to hear the communities concerns on super trawlers like Peter Hendy and Eric Hutchison lost their seats in the 2016 federal election. This year Environment Tasmania also developed our new five-year Strategic Plan. In the coming year, we will scale up our campaign to clean-up the salmon farming industry, which poses one of the largest threats to the health of Tasmania s coastal waters. We ll also be focusing on protecting Tasmania s high conservation value forests which are at risk again because of the Hodgman Government s decision to repeal the Tasmanian Forest Agreement (TFA). We fought hard for the TFA because it legislated for some 330,000 hectares of Tassie s highest conservation value forests to be protected as reserves. These forests are now at risk. This year we will also role out Environment Tasmania s new marketing and fundraising plan, which is designed to grow our supporter base and diversify our revenue stream. By 2021, Environment Tasmania aims to be on a sustainable financial footing, so that we can build the community support we need to protect our oceans and forests, and build support amongst Tasmanians for real action on climate change. We are so incredibly grateful to all of our supporters from our volunteers to our financial supporters without you we wouldn t be able to do our utmost to protect our unique island home. Laura Kelly Strategy Director 2 3

3 Projects report For the last three years Environment Tasmania has been delivering environmental restoration projects with the financial assistance of various Federal Government grants schemes. As of June 2016, our two most ambitious projects, Tasmanian Community Forest Walks and Tasmanian Forest Landscape Restoration, have come to an end. It is worthwhile reviewing some of the achievements of these projects. We repaired and upgraded many kilometres of track and installed interpretive signage at the following sites Blue Tier Giant Walk (Big Tree), Halls Falls, Lake Skinner, Junee Cave, Twisted Sister, Arm River, Higgs and Warners Tracks. An independent assessment of works performed on the project was commissioned by Martin Hawes, and were delighted that we received affirmation of the high quality of the works. There were many groups that assisted with this project, but special mention must go to Friends of the Blue Tier, Florentine Protection Society, and Friends of the Great Western Tiers. We delivered restoration works on 200 HA of Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA) that had been logged prior to listing as World Heritage. Although this will take generations to fully recover, we are confident that our techniques have increased the integrity of regrowth, and have reduced the risk of fire, controlled pests and weeds, and controlled and mitigated erosion. 4 Many thanks to AK Consultants for their botanical monitoring of these coupes, and the hardy volunteers who helped seed, weed and transplant. We look forward to continuing to monitor these coupes into the future with the support of enthusiastic Wildcare Inc. volunteers. We made a significant contribution to the restoration of Skyline Tier (on the outskirts of Scamander), as initiated by the indomitable North East Bioregional Network. In the last 3 years, 350 hectares of pine plantation has been restored to native forest. This project will be promoted nationwide as an example of best practice environmental landscape restoration work, and will no doubt inspire more people and community groups to undertake similar work. We also commissioned independent analysis that shows that restoration work on this scale has significant positive economic and social impacts. The project is estimated to have made the following contribution to the regional economy over its life: $1.9M in direct and indirect regional output or business turnover; $1.4M in direct and indirect regional value added; $1.0M in direct and indirect household income; and 50 direct and indirect jobs. In 2016 ET were recipients of a Community Heritage and Icons Grant for an interpretive artwork project to be embedded on the Twisted Sister walking track. Artist Gerhard Mausz was selected to create work that captured the spirit of the site, and the remarkable protesters who helped save it from destruction. His winged benches pay powerful homage to their legacy. Going into we have one more project currently on our books, which is the final stage of a 20 Million Trees grant. Once again, this work is to oversee restoration of coupes that were logged prior to the extension of the TWWHA in This time we will be trialling some exciting new restoration methodologies, with the expert assistance of Dr Anita Wild. Over the last 3 year these projects engaged 250 volunteers in on ground works throughout the state. I have only managed projects for ET in the last 6 months, so I would like to thank everyone who made unpaid contributions to our projects this year, in particular: Don Thompson, Jodie Epper, Fiona Rice, Elizabeth Perey, Brendon Moodie, David White, Xuan Yang and Tracey Cockburn. I also want to acknowledge and thank the sterling work performed by those employed to work on the projects this year Christine Corbett, Annette Dean, Todd Dudley and Nicole Gale. I encourage you to explore our refreshed website in order to access a wealth of information that relates to our project work. Beverley Jefferson Project Manager Treasurer s report I was welcomed into the organisation as treasurer in June 2016, and have been working closely with our finance team to build sustainable financial practices into the organisation. I have appreciated the guidance and support of our staff and Management Committee, who have assisted my role with their deep knowledge of Environment Tasmania. In adapting to the changing needs of Tasmania s social, political and environmental conditions, our financial management was reviewed and shaped in order to best deal with the challenges ahead. For our finance team, these changes mean that more of our financial management is taking place internally, as new staff with these capabilities have joined our team. Our financial management is continuing to be audited by Wise Lord and Ferguson (WLF), who oversee our internal auditing obligations as well as those required of us by external parties such as the Australian Tax Office and the Australian Charities and Not-forprofits Commission. WLF are one of Tasmania s leading audit providers, and we can present our annual financial statements with complete confidence. These processes ensure that our activities are operated with the utmost care and responsibility. In comparing Environment Tasmania s current financial position with the results of the previous financial year, it is clear that our financial stability will be attributed to diversifying our income streams in order to achieve a sustainable position into the future. With grant income less secure in the current political environment, we are grateful for the continued support of our donors. The 2015/16 financial year saw a positive and stable approach to financial management, resulting in a contribution to our organisation s equity that affords us much more stability and security into the future. Coupled with improvements in financial management, this allows Environment Tasmania to build on previous successes for our natural environment, and prepare for future achievements to benefit the social and environmental future of our beautiful state. Our financial management contributes to Environment Tasmania s vision for the future by sustainably expanding our capabilities. Leanne Morrison Treasurer 5

4 Board biographies 1. Jodie Epper Chair Jodie Epper has worked in landscape restoration and community development for over 20 years. Her work has mainly been across the private land tenure, working with farmers and rural communities. She was awarded the Centenary Medal for Services to Australian Society and Rural Industries. She founded the Tasmanian Landcare Fund and is passionate about community engagement and volunteer management. 2. Andrew Baird Deputy Chair Andy Baird has been an environmental educator for almost 30 years during which time he has worked in the field as a park ranger and Bushcare facilitator, in the classroom as a secondary science teacher and environmental trainer, and in the forests as an activist. He was a founding member of the Natural Resource Management South Board and Peregrine Community School, and active member of numerous Rivercare/ Bushcare groups, as well as secretary of the Australia Tibet Council (Tas). His passion for environmental awareness bridges the arts and sciences, activism and education, and social and spiritual development. He has worked in environmental fields across the globe from India to Alaska, Scotland to Antarctica, but his heart is firmly in the wilds of Tasmania. Andy is currently the Deputy Director Engagement at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Leanne Morrison Treasurer Leanne Morrison is a PhD candidate in corporate environmental reporting at the University of Tasmania. Her research examines the relationship between the modern corporation and the natural world through a lens of environmental philosophy. Leanne is a lecturer of accounting theory and practice at the Tasmanian School of Business and Economics (UTas), and balances her work with family life on a small organic farm in the beautiful Huon Valley. 4. Warrick Jordan Warrick Jordan has worked in conservation advocacy for the past 15 years, including as a board member, past chair, volunteer, and collaborator with Environment Tasmania since Warrick has had substantial involvement in Tasmanian forestry issues over the past decade, and also has experience in marine conservation, fossil fuel campaigns, and NGO governance. He lives in Newcastle, NSW, and is currently employed at the Wilderness Society on forest conservation, and digital outreach. 5. Philip Harrington Philip is an economist and consultant with 30 years experience in climate and energy policy. He leads a national consulting practice that works with international and local organisations, and leading cities and businesses, to achieve transformative outcomes such as 100% renewables or zero carbon. He also works to improve government climate and energy policies. He engages with local and professional communities around climate action through Climate Action Hobart; as Convenor of Climate Tasmania; and as a past Board member with Sustainable Living Tasmania. 6. Don Thompson Don Thompson has worked for over 40 years in organisational, program and project management, facilitation, grant management and policy development in biodiversity, sustainable production, natural resources, project and program evaluation, environmental design, education and community development fields for nongovernment and government organisations. He is now retired and keen to contribute to the great work of Environment Tasmania. 7. Rafael Szumer Rafael Szumer currently practices as a lawyer in North-West Tasmania and sits on the Tasmanian Law Society Council and the North- West Community Legal Centre board. He has previously volunteered with the Environment Defenders Office, the Australian Earth Laws Alliance and worked as mediator in civil and restorative justice matters. He is also an active member of the North West State Emergency Service Search and Rescue Team Staff biographies 1. Laura Kelly Strategy Director Laura is a highly experience campaigner and community organiser. She was Director of the Climate Action Network Australia, worked with Environment Tasmania during historic negotiations on the Forest Peace Deal, and has previously worked with Greenpeace and the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers. She has a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Political Science and Feminist Theory. 2. Beverley Jefferson Project Manager Beverley has worked primarily in NGO s in senior roles ranging from management to communications. Former roles include Campaign Co-ordinator for Tasmania s largest trade union, Finance and Capacity Builder for the Laos Disabled People s Association, and General Manager of Wide Angle Tasmania. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy & Women s Studies, and a Graduate Diploma in Film & TV. 3. Nicole Gale Business Manager Nicole has over 14 years experience working with both private and not for profit organisations in the environmental and conservation sector in Australia and Canada. She is business savvy but gets not for profits and is passionate about using our resources as efficiently as possible to deliver the social change we need to. When she s not at work, you ll find her hiking, canoeing or camping around this beautiful island state. 4. Ginny Gerlach Marine Coordinator A yachtswoman and commercial skipper, Ginny Gerlach has spent over twenty years working and living on the ocean. After running a 5 year community based campaign and protecting the inshore and estuarine waters of the Greater Fitzroy Delta in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area from coal port development she moved to Tasmania. With diverse experience in tourism, community training and small business she joins the Environment Tasmania team as a marine campaigner. 5. Bec Hubbard Marine Coordinator Bec has led Environment Tasmania s marine program since 2009 and has over 13 years experience as an environmental campaigner. She has an Honours degree in Environmental Science, and has worked on antinuclear, genetic engineering, and marine protection campaigns for international and local organisations including Greenpeace and The Wilderness Society in WA

5 Environment Tasmania Incorporated Financial Statements 30 June

6 Independent Auditor s Report 10 11

7 Income and Expenditure for the year ended 30 June

8 Balance Sheet as at 30 June

9 Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended 30 June 2016 Movements in Equity for the year ended 30 June

10 Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June