Budget 2019 provides an additional $10.699 million over the next four years to improve the Department of Conservation’s security, and health and safety systems.

This initiative aims to ensure conservation workers and volunteers are safe and secure while undertaking operations. The new funding increase will provide for a Chief Security Officer support team and increased regional health and safety management systems.

Please note the annual phasing of amounts and allocation to each initiative element is an approximate due to the Department currently finalising the implementation plan. It is envisaged the new funding will allow for:

• Enhancing regional safety and wellbeing capability and support by establishing 6 new positions focused on threat management at site. Funding will enable these roles to manage, develop and enhance occupational health management, wellbeing and safety training programmes for DOC staff, contractors and volunteers.

• Establishing a national support team of 6 personnel tasked with organisational coordination, risk governance and liaison with Government and other respective agencies and parties.
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• Security system infrastructure upgrades (safety CCTV, camera equipment) will be made at all DOC offices, workshops, yards, vehicles and property locations at risk from threats.
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Increases to DOC’s departmental operating budget
The graph below shows how the departmental operating budget (including new Budget 2019 funding) compared with the pre-existing departmental budget (dotted green line).

Budgets for 2013/14 to 2018/19 are from the Budget Estimates of Appropriations as tabled for those years. The significant operating budget increase from 2018/19 ($399 million) to 2019/20 ($499 million) is driven predominately by:
• the new International Visitors Conservation and Tourism Levy ($42 million)
• year on year funding uplift from Budget 18 biodiversity bids ($35 million)
• year on year funding uplift from Budget 17 Tourism initiative ($5 million).
• Budget 19 Safety & Security initiative ($3 million).

Note, DOC’s budget is complex. There can be fluctuations as a result of Government policy initiatives approved in the annual budget round (E.g. Budget 2019, International Conservation and Tourism Levy); external revenue increases (E.g. hut and camping charges, concessions fees and partnerships revenue) and technical adjustments to budgets such as transferring budgets between years.

Budget 2019 funding compared to prior Budgets
The following chart overlays new funding in Budget 2019 with funding received in previous years.

New operating funding being received from 2019/20 onwards are:
• International Visitor Conservation and Tourism levy - $42.168 million in 2019/20 and $180.407 million over the next four years.

• Budget 2019 initiative funding for Safety & Security - $2.755 million in 2019/20 and $10.699 million over the next four years.

Trend in Vote Conservation and DOC’s departmental operating budget
Vote Conservation has two main components:
• Departmental spending, which is DOC’s total operational budget;
• Non-Departmental spending, which DOC spends on behalf of the Crown.

The following graph shows the growth of Vote Conservation and DOC’s Departmental operating budget from new funding in Budget 2019 and the introduction of the International Visitor and Conservation Levy:

Note, Vote Conservation includes both Departmental and Non-Departmental Capital budgets.

Budgets for the years 2013/14 to 2018/19 are from the Budget Estimates of Appropriations as tabled for those years.

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