Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 07 Hansard (Tuesday, 29 June 2004) . . Page.. 2901 ..

Canberra, as the largest urban centre in the Murray-Darling Basin, accepts its responsibility to contribute to the health of the river system.

Taking account of this specific commitment to the Murray-Darling, the government committed around $15 million of new funding to the implementation of “Think water, act water”, as well as to the development of improved catchment management arrangements. These initiatives will all directly improve the health of the Murray-Darling system.

This government is the first since self-government to recognise the fundamental importance of water to the economic prosperity of the region. In “Think water, act water”, the government has confirmed its earlier commitment to develop the integrated water supply strategy and expects to negotiate this strategy with the New South Wales and Commonwealth governments before the end of this year.

Securing our future water supply involves arrangements with New South Wales and with the Commonwealth. These will have a national, regional and subregional focus, respectively through the ACT’s participation in the National Water Initiative, negotiation of an ACT water cap in the Murray-Darling context and an integrated water supply strategy that we are currently developing and negotiating with the region.

In negotiating the integrated water supply strategy, the ACT has consistently argued to New South Wales and the Commonwealth that water security issues, in large part catchment management, are as important as future supply arrangements. That is also the thinking that is reflected in “Think water, act water”.

Initial discussions by officials on the integrated water supply strategy for New South Wales have included cross-border catchment management arrangements with the express intent of negotiating an agreement that protects and improves the Googong catchment upstream of the territory while also committing to our part in securing the quality of water that leaves the ACT. Recognising that regional settlement patterns and water supply are inextricably linked, we will be seeking sustainable urban design and form, as well as settlement patterns that will lessen urban impact on the basin.

The ACT is coordinating work with both the New South Wales and Commonwealth governments on a shared understanding of the legal arrangements and obligations in respect of cross-border water supply as a necessary first step in the development of that strategy. We are partners with both the Commonwealth and New South Wales in this work, and I am very happy to advise the Assembly that there are very high levels of cooperation among officials from the ACT, New South Wales and Commonwealth governments in the development of a coordinated approach to all cross-border issues and the management of the catchments we respectively rely upon.

Key issues for the ACT in the preparation of an integrated water supply strategy include the need to promote sustainability, secure water quality and catchment run-off into Googong Dam and ensure that water supply from the ACT does not support inappropriate development. In that regard it is to be noted, and perhaps be concerned about, that the Leader of the Opposition has now indicated that one of the reasons we need to push ahead with the construction of the Naas dam is so that we can irrigate vineyards that might occur within the region. If that is a justification for the development

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .