E&OE...
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Good morning,
Scouts make an important contribution to Australian society by instilling positive social values in our young people and assisting many others in our community.
With about 60,000 Scouts across the country, and more than 2 million people who have been part of Australian scouting in the last 100 years, the Scouts have become the largest youth development organisation in the nation.
To mark the centenary of scouting in Australia and to further assist urban communities deal with the current severe water shortages the Commonwealth Government has decided to provide almost $18 million to Scouts Australia for the installation of rainwater tanks across the nation.
This funding will help the scouts generate significant water savings and is another example of the Government's practical approach to Australia's water crisis.
Through a number of water programs, the Government is helping to conserve and better manage water at a grass roots level.
The Government's highly successful community water grants program - a $200 million component of the $2 billion water fund - has already funded projects that have saved 27,000 megalitres of water. That's about the average annual water use of 100,000 households.
The third funding round of the community water grants program has just been announced and I encourage all communities with good water saving plans to apply.
Listen to this Speech (MP3 - 1.39Mb - 90secs)