The ACT NRM Council held its 18th meeting on Tuesday, 7 April 2009. The Council has submitted two proposals in the 2009-2010 Caring for our Country contestable funding round: Greater Goorooyarroo Landscape Recovery: securing the future for endangered box-gum grassy woodlands, and Getting Back To Country: Partnership with the ACT Indigenous Community. The Council thanked the various contributing partners and the Council support team for their efforts in putting these applications together. Council reviewed the outcomes of their Governance Assessment and Review workshop conducted in February 2009. As a result the Council confirmed its priorities for 2009 will be:

• Exploring options for a more comprehensive and integrated environmental planning framework for the Territory;




• Working with the community NRM sector to ensure that the ACT continues to have the most appropriate community structures to respond to ACT NRM needs




• Exploring opportunities for broadening the NRM funding base in the ACT;




• Developing a NRM knowledge strategy;




• Developing an Indigenous Engagement strategy; and




• Implementing enhanced monitoring, reporting, evaluation and improvement (MERI) arrangements for NRM investment.

These issues will be the focus of upcoming Council meetings during 2009. The Council received a briefing from Australian Government MERI team members on the recently released Caring for our Country MERI Strategy.The Council also received a presentation from Mr Drew English, Chair, ACT and Region Catchment and Landcare Association (CLA) and Mr Lynton Bond, Chair, Molonglo Catchment Group, on the proposal for an ACT Living Environment Centre. The Council welcomed the development of the proposal and gave their in-principle support to the concept. The Council support team will continue to work with the CLA to further develop the proposal. Council was advised that external audits of the single holding account had been satisfactorily completed for 2006-07 and 2007-08 NHT2/NAP projects. At the conclusion of the meeting the Council Chair, Dr Sarah Ryan presented Mr Peter Gullett with a small gift in recognition and appreciation of his service to the Council. Mr Gullett is retiring from the Council having been a member since its inception in May 2006. Dr Ryan thanked Mr Gullett, on behalf of the Council for his commitment to NRM in the ACT and valuable contribution as a Council member. The next Council meeting will be on Tuesday, 9 June 2009.