The major role of these Ministerial Councils is to better integrate Australia's conservation and sustainable production objectives.

The Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (NRMMC) and the Primary Industries Ministerial Council (PIMC) were established in 2001 by agreement of Australian Federal, State and Territory Governments. The Councils have subsumed all or part of the work of three previous bodies, namely the Agricultural and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand (ARMCANZ), the Australia New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) and the Ministerial Council on Forestry, Fisheries and Aquaculture (MCFFA).

What's New

• PIMC 21 communiqué - 28 October 2011
  
  

• COAG reform of Ministerial Councils
  
  At its meeting on 13 February 2011, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to form two new COAG standing councils on primary industries (including biosecurity), and environment and water.
  
  The new COAG standing council on primary industries will be chaired by Senator the Hon. Joe Ludwig, the Australian Government Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
  
  The new COAG standing council on environment and water will be chaired by
  the Hon. Tony Burke MP, the Australian Government Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.
  
  New standing councils will support the move to a reform-based system by identifying five to seven strategic priorities of national significance to be accomplished within defined timeframes. COAG will play a greater role in ensuring that reform goals are achieved by the new standing councils.
  
  As a result of COAG’s decision, the remit of the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (NRMMC) was withdrawn on 30 June 2011. NRMMC held its last meeting on
  4 November 2010. When the new standing councils commence, the remit of the Primary Industries Ministerial Council (PIMC) will also be withdrawn.
  
  Details on ministerial council reform can be found on the COAG website: www.coag.gov.au. For further information on PIMC and NRMMC, please contact the secretariats at pimc@daff.gov.au or nrmmc@daff.gov.au

Next Meetings:

Standing committees

• PISC 23 September 2011 – Sydney

Ministerial councils

• PIMC 28 October 2011 – Melbourne