Why the statement of General Policy has been prepared and what it seeks to achieve
This General Policy has been prepared under section 17C of the Conservation Act 1987 to provide unified policy for the implementation of the following Acts listed in the First Schedule of the Conservation Act 1987:
- The Conservation Act 1987
- The Wildlife Act 1953
- The Marine Reserves Act 1971
- The Reserves Act 1977
- The Wild Animal Control Act 1977
- The Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978.
This General Policy provides guidance for the administration and management of all lands and waters and all natural and historic resources managed for the purposes of the above Acts, excluding reserves administered by other agencies under the Reserves Act 1977.
This General Policy also provides guidance for consistent management planning for the wide range of places and resources administered or managed by the Department, including the preparation of conservation management strategies, conservation management plans and sports fish management plans.
Those policy and planning documents have a hierarchy that derives from the provisions of the legislation. Specifically:
- General Policy implements and cannot derogate (i.e. detract) from legislation;
- conservation management strategies implement general policies;
- conservation management strategies cannot derogate from any general policy; and
- a conservation management plan, freshwater fisheries management plan or sports fish and game management plan cannot derogate from a conservation management strategy.
Where any planning document is silent on an issue, the remaining documents provide direction in accordance with the hierarchy above.
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