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The Government also supports environmental projects and conservation management, through the National Landcare Programme (AUD 1 billion) and the Green Army (AUD 700 million).

Box 4.1 Government drought assistance
Government drought assistance measures (as at September 2019)
Measure: Great Artesian Basin
Nature and recipient assistance: AUD 36.9 million over six years to improve water security and drought resilience in the Great Artesian Basin.

Australia is involved in the negotiations to reach an Environmental Goods Agreement[20]

[20] DFAT, Trade and the environment. Viewed at: https://dfat.gov.au/trade/organisations/wto/negotiations/ega/Pages/trade-and-the-environment.aspx#environmental-goods.

The Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act, 2006 and maritime boundary treaties with neighbouring countries provide the regulatory framework for all offshore petroleum exploration, production and greenhouse gas activities in Commonwealth waters (those areas more than three nautical miles from the territorial sea baseline and within the Commonwealth Petroleum Jurisdiction Boundary). The National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator provides advice and recommendations to the Joint Authorities, the decision-maker for the granting of petroleum titles that underpin petroleum exploration and development—exploration permits, retention leases and production licences. The Joint Authority for each state and the Northern Territory comprise the responsible Commonwealth minister and the relevant state or Northern Territory minister. The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority ensures that exploration and development activities are compliant with the relevant regulations.

The Biosecurity Act, 2015 was amended in 2018 (...) the main purposes of the amendments were to introduce new arrangements regarding the collection of information on the monitoring of, control of, and response to, biosecurity risks within Australia; (...)

Table 3.9 Anti-dumping duties terminated, 2015-April 2019
Tariff line(s): 2710.11.80; 2710.19.80; 3824.90.20; 3824.90.30; 2710.91.80; 2710.99.80
Product description: Biodiesel
Country of export: United States
Date terminated: 19.04.2016

The OECD notes that resource constraints, particularly access to water, remain the greatest challenge to Australia's agricultural sector. Recent water reforms have been a step in the right direction, as pricing mechanisms are being employed to reflect the scarcity of water to producers. The OECD welcomes the more unified approach towards drought management embodied in the NDA as a tool to end sometimes-contradictory incentives provided until recently. However, it is also noted that, while it is widely accepted that Australian agriculture is affected by a changing climate, its contribution to emissions that drive climate change is relatively overlooked in terms of policy response.