Page 641 - Week 02 - Thursday, 9 March 2006
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Catchment Action Plan given that (a) the draft Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Plan of November 2005 acknowledges that while the ACT is located entirely within the Murrumbidgee Catchment it deals with natural resource management within its own policy planning framework and (b) NSW and ACT Governments agree that the catchment must be managed across jurisdictional boundaries;
(2) What progress has been made on the ACT Regional Plan;
(3) What opportunities for community participation are there for the ACT Regional Plan;
(4) How will consistency with the Murrumbidgee Catchment Action Plan be ensured;
(5) How will the ACT Government work with all the other municipalities involved to ensure that the Murrumbidgee Catchment Action Plan is implemented.
Mr Stanhope: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
(1) The ACT has been consulted by the Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Authority both formally and informally in the preparation of the Murrumbidgee Catchment Action Plan. This has included participation in workshops relating to the development of targets and actions. The Authority has also consulted the ACT Natural Resource Management Board which is the Territory’s regional body for these purposes.
(2) The ACT’s regional plan, the ACT Natural Resource Management Plan was prepared by the ACT Natural Resources Management Board and accredited by the ACT and Australian Government in June 2004. A review of the Plan will be conducted once the Murrumbidgee Catchment Action Plan is finalised to ensure consistency between the ACT and wider Murrumbidgee plans.
(3) The ACT Natural Resources Management Board undertook extensive community consultation in the preparation of the ACT’s regional plan. This included community workshops and forums as well as a formal call for comments on the draft document.
(4) Consistency with the Murrumbidgee Catchment Action Plan will be ensured through close examination of the Plan as it relates to the ACT, consultation with relevant scientific and community experts and through consultation with the Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Authority as well as with the NSW Resources Commission which sets overall standards for NSW regional plans.
(5) The ACT has proposed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Authority in respect of collaborative natural resource management activities associated with the implementation of the ACT and Murrumbidgee regional plans. The Board of the Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Authority is currently considering the draft Memorandum of Understanding.
The ACT Government also supports a number of government and community networks that promote collaboration in achieving natural resource management targets in our region. These include support for community based catchment groups, Landcare and conservation networks as well as cooperation in addressing issues such as pest plants and animals and the conservation of threatened species and communities.
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