Abstract
To understand more fully the character of environmental problems in Australia it is important to consider the continent’s geography and its distinctive historical development as a nation state. Australia covers a vast territory (7,682,000 square kilometres) but has a low population density. Most people are concentrated in several cities, largely on the eastern coast. Compared to other OECD countries the current population of 18.4 million is likely to grow at a fairly rapid rate. The unique aspects of Australia’s political economy (Bell and Head, 1994) are also important factors, and have been pivotal in debates about greenhouse gas emissions. Government sources point to heavy reliance on exporting agricultural products and resource processing industries. Another important consideration is the shape of the political system with its three tiers (federal, state, and local). The states have extensive powers to legislate, manage and regulate the environment. Local government is responsible for land use planning and aspects of development. However, over the past two decades, the main shift in power in this area has been towards the federal government.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council, 1994. Guide to Environmental Legislation in Australia and New Zealand (fourth edition), Report No. 29. Canberra:
Department of the Environment, Sports and Territories, Commonwealth of Australia.
Bates, G. M., 1983. Environmental Law in Australia, Sydney: Butterworths.
Beale, B., and P. Fray, 1990. The Vanishing Continent. Sydney: Hodder and Stoughton.
Bell, S., and B. Head. 1994. Australia’s Political Economy: Critical Themes and Issues, In: S. Bell, and B. Head (eds.), State, Economy and Public Policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Business
Council of Australia, 1990. Achieving Sustainable Development. A Discussion Paper by the Business Council of Australia. Canberra: Business Council of Australia
Christoff, P., 1995. Market-based Instruments: The Australian Experience, In: R. Eckersley (ed.), Markets, The State and The Environment: Towards Integration. Melbourne: Macmillan.
Commonwealth of Australia, 1989. Our Country, Our Future, Statement on the Environment, Canberra: AGPS.
Commonwealth of Australia, 1992a. National Greenhouse Response Strategy. Canberra: AGPS.
Commonwealth of Australia, 1992b. National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development, (http://www.environment.gov.au/portfolio/esd/nsesd/intro.html).
Commonwealth of Australia, 1995. Progress in Implementing the National Greenhouse Response Strategy, Canberra: Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories, Report by the Intergovernmental Committee for Ecologically Sustainable Development.
Commonwealth of Australia, 1996. Summary of the InterGovernmental Agreement on the Environment, (http://www.environment.gov.au/portfolio/esd/nsesd/appndxa.html)
Commonwealth of Australia, 1997a. Future Directions for Australia’s National Greenhouse Strategy. Canberra: Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories, for the Intergovernmental Committee for Ecologically Sustainable Development.
Commonwealth of Australia, 1997b. Investing in Our Natural Heritage. The Commonwealth’s Environment Expenditure, 1997-98. Canberra: AGPS.
Commonwealth of Australia, 1997c. Safeguarding the Future: Australia’s Response to Climate Change. Statement by the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon John Howard, (http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/ago/safeguarding.html) (last modified 29 September 1998).
Commonwealth of Australia, 1998. Outcomes from Buenos Aires and the Implications for Australia, (http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/pubs/factsheets/fsbuenos.html)
Doyle, T., and A. Kellow, 1995. Environmental Politics and Policy Making in Australia. Melbourne: Macmillan.
Eckersley, R., 1989. Regreening Australia: the environmental, economic and social benefits of reforestation, Melbourne: CSIRO.
Environmental Management Industry Association of Australia, 1997. The Green Book. The guide to Australia ’s environmental technologies and resources. Moorabbin, Vic: Hallmark Editions.
Hamilton, C., 1994. A Comparison of Emission Sources and Emission Trends Among OECD Countries, Background Paper No. 1. Canberra: The Australia Institute.
Hamilton, C., T. Hundloe, and J. Quiggin, 1997. Ecological Tax Reform in Australia: Using taxes, charges and public spending to protect the environment without hurting the economy, Discussion Paper No. 10. Canberra: The Australia Institute.
Hay, P., and M. G. Haward, 1988. Comparative Green Politics: Beyond the European Context. Political Studies, 36, 433–448.
House of Representatives Standing Committee on Environment and Conservation, 1987. Fiscal Measures and the Achievement of Environment Objectives, Report of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Environment and Conservation. Canberra: AGPS.
Jahn, D., 1998. Environmental performance and policy regimes: Explaining variations in 18 OECD countries. Policy Sciences 31, 107–131.
Jänicke, M., 1992. Conditions for Environmental Policy Success: An International Comparison The Environmentalist 12, 47–58.
Jänicke, M., and H. Weidner (eds), 1997. National Environmental Policies. A Comparative Study of Capacity-Building. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.
Kellow, A., 1990. Spoiling for a Fight or Fighting for the Spoils? Resources and Environment Politics and Policies Towards 2000, In: B. Hogwood (ed), Australia Towards 2000. London: Macmillan.
OECD, 1994. Managing the Environment: The Role of Economic Instruments. Paris: OECD.
OECD, 1997. OECD Environmental Data Compendium 1997. Paris: OECD.
OECD, 1998. Environmental Performance Reviews: Australia. Conclusions and Recommendations. Paris: OECD.
Papadakis, E., 1993. Politics and the Environment. The Australian Experience. Sydney: Allen and Unwin.
Papadakis, E., 1994. Development and the Environment, In: C. Bean (ed), The 1993 Federal Election. Australian Journal of Political Science, special issue 29, 66–80.
Papadakis, E., 1996. Environmental Politics and Institutional Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Papadakis, E., 1999. “In the National Interest’: Australian engagement with the UNCED process, In: W. Lafferty, and J. Meadowcroft (eds), Bringing Rio Home. Oxford: Oxford University Press, (forthcoming).
Productivity Commission, 1999. Implementation of Ecologically Sustainable Development by Commonwealth Departments and Agencies, Draft Report. Canberra.
Roddewig, R., 1978. Green Bans. The Birth of Australian Environmental Politics. Sydney: Hale and Ironmonger
State of the Environment Advisory Council, 1996a. Australia: State of the Environment 1996. Executive Summary. Canberra: AGPS.
State of the Environment Advisory Council, 1996b. Australia: State of the Environment 1996. Canberra: AGPS.
Toyne, P., 1994. The Reluctant Nation. Sydney: ABC Books.
Toyne, P., 1995. Ecologically Sustainable Development in Australia, Presentation to The President’s Council on Sustainable Development. Canberra. Department of the Environment.
Whitelock, D., 1985. Conquest to Conservation: History of Human Impact on the South Australian Environment. Cowandilla: Wakefield Press.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2002 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Papadakis, E. (2002). Environmental Capacity Building in Australia. In: Weidner, H., Jänicke, M. (eds) Capacity Building in National Environmental Policy. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04794-1_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04794-1_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-07732-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-04794-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive