Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA)
- Regional Forest Agreement
- Amendments to the Regional Forest Agreement
- Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement (A Way Forward For Tasmania's Forests)
- RFA Ten Year Review
- Previous Reviews of the Regional Forest Agreement
- Annual Reports
- RFA Policy Framework
- Documentation
- Links
Regional Forest Agreement
The Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) is an inter-governmental agreement between the Tasmanian and Australian Governments, signed in November 1997. The Agreement provides for the long term sustainable management of Tasmania's forests, both public and privately owned, and applies for 20 years, with five-yearly reviews.
Tasmania was the first state in Australia to be fully covered by an RFA. The agreement took two years to develop. Documents relating to the preparation and release of the RFA, including the Agreement, Land Use maps, media release and Fact Sheets, Reports and Assessments can be found on the Australian Government's RFA website.
Since signing the RFA, Tasmanian Government agencies have been implementing the RFA. Whole-of-Government co-ordination is facilitated by the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources. Other Tasmanian Government agencies involved are the Department of Primary Industries and Water, the Department of Tourism, Arts and the Environment, the Department of Economic Development, the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Forestry Tasmania, Private Forests Tasmania, and the Forest Practices Authority.
Amendments to the Regional Forest Agreement
On 19 July 2001, both Parties agreed to minor variations to the RFA to ensure that compensation and termination provisions were consistent with RFAs in other States, and to address minor issues such as a change in mailing address of the Commonwealth and the clarification of an ambiguity of public reserves as informal reserves.
On 23 February 2007, both Governments agreed to amendments to the RFA to clarify the policy intent of the Parties to the Agreement, following a case in the Federal Court(Brown vs. Forestry Tasmania (No 4) (2006) FCA 1729 (19 December 2006)).
Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement (A Way Forward For Tasmania's Forests)
On 13 May 2005, both Governments signed a Supplementary Regional Forest Agreement, known as the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement 2005 (the TCFA).
RFA Ten Year Review
The second five-yearly review of the Tasmanian RFA covering the period 2002 - 2007 was completed in February 2008. The Report to the Australian and Tasmanian Governments on the Second Five Yearly Review of Progress with Implementation of the Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement (the RFA Review Report) is downloadable in either its full form or in part only - the Executive Summary and Recommendations.
Both Goverments have agreed to implement all of the recommendations from the review. The RFA 10 Year Review (2007) Scoping Agreement, which set out the agreed arrangements for the Review.
The purpose of the Review was to review performance against the specified milestones and commitments of the Regional Forest Agreement 1997 and the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement 2005.
The review was undertaken by an independent person jointly appointed by Ministers from both Governments, Mr John Ramsay.
The Governments prepared two reports for the purposes of the RFA 10 Year Review. The Sustainability Indicators Report 2007, and a report on the Implementation of the Regional Forest Agreement 2007 (the Reports). Public comment on these reports was considered by the Reviewer in preparing his report to the Governments.
There are a number of processes requiring essentially similar information aimed at reporting on sustainable management of forest ecosystems. These include the Tasmanian and Australian State of the Environment reporting, Tasmanian and Australian State of the Forests reporting and reporting against Montreal Process criteria and indicators.
Previous Reviews of the Regional Forest Agreement
The RFA provides for five-yearly reviews of progress in implementing the RFA. Documents from the first Review in 2002 are also available on this website.
Annual Reports
The Annual Reports, on the implementation of the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement, jointly prepared by the Australian and Tasmanian Governments, can be found here. Annual reports on the implementation of the RFA were prepared for the first four years (1997-2000). These reports can be found here.
(128KB)
RFA Policy Framework
The following links are to documents prepared in 2002 to describe the statewide policy framework across all tenures for;
Documentation
- Annual Report - Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement 2007-08
- Annual Report - Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement 2006-07
- Annual Report - Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement 2005-06
- Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement 2005
- RFA Sustainability Indicators Report 2007
- RFA 1997 Amendment re Wielangta Case
- RFA 10 Year Review (2007) Scoping Agreement
- RFA Implementation Report 2007
- Regional Forest Agreement 1997
- RFA 2001 Amendment
Links
- Previous RFA Review (2002)
- Australian Government Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
- Australian Government of the Environment and Water Resources
- Department of Infrastructure Energy and Resources
- Department of Primary Industries and Water
- Department of Economic Development
- Department of Tourism, Arts and the Environment
- Parks and Wildlife Service
- Tourism Tasmania
- Forest Practices Authority
- Forestry Tasmania
- Private Forests Tasmania
