Appendix D – Minor treaty action referred prior to tabling

Proposal to amend Annex 1 of the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

On 19 January 2009 the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, the Hon Peter Garrett AM MP, advised the Committee of a proposed minor treaty action prior to it being tabled in the Parliament.

The Minister indicated that the Australian and British Governments intend to jointly propose a minor amendment to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) at the Meeting of the Parties to the Agreement, to be held in April 2009. Assuming that the amendment is adopted, the tacit consent provisions of ACAP provide that the amendment will automatically enter into force 90 days after adoption. This means that the amendment will, in all likelihood, come into force before the Committee has had an opportunity to conduct its review.

At its meeting on 24 February 2009 the Committee considered the referral from the Minister and endorsed the Government’s proposed course of action, noting that it was keen to learn of the outcome when the treaty action is tabled with its explanatory statement at the first opportunity following the April Meeting of the Parties to the Agreement.