PRIME MINISTER
FOR MEDIA 19 AUGUST 1985
JOINT STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE PREMIER OF NSW,
THE PREMIER OF VICTORIA, AND THE PREMIER OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA
ministers from the Commonwealth, New South Wales, Victoria
and South Australia will meet in Adelaide in November to
consider more effective ways of managing the Murray River
and its Basin.
In announcing the historic meeting today, the Prime
Minister and the Premiers of the three States said there
was serious concern about water and land salinity in the
Murray Basin. Although water and land management is
primarily the responsibility of individual States,
significant advances can be achieved through intergovernmental
collaboration in dealing with the complex
water and land-related management problems in the Basin.
The complex interaction between water and land management
underlines the need for more active involvement of all
government agencies with significant interests in these
matters agriculture, water resources, soil conservation,
environmental protection in any new collaborative intergovernmental
approach to natural resource management in th: 1
Murray Basin.
This is imperative if increased emphasis is to be given to
treating the causes of water and land degradation
originating mainly in past and current management practices
rather than the symptoms of the problem, as has tended to
be the case to date.
To provide a sound basis for consideration by the four
Governments of options for more effective collaboration in
Murray Basin management, it has been agreed that the
meeting will Involve all Ministers of the four Governments
with responsibilities relating to water, agriculture, soil
conservation and environment protection.
The initiative for such a high level meeting, designed to
consider the complex issues involved and develop
recommendations for action by the respective Governments,
came in first instance from the South Australian Premier,
Mr Bannon, and the Victorian Premier, Mr Cain, and was
readily agreed to by the other Governments involved.
The meeting, in which the Commonwealth will play a coordinating
role, will be preceded by preparatory work
undertaken by officials of the four Governments.
Representatives of local and other interest groups will be
invited to attend the meeting as observers.
The Murray Basin contains the nation's most important water
resource, providing assured water supplies to 80% of all
irrigation in Australia. It includes some of our best
cropping and animal production country.
The long-term future of this region is of considerable
national significance, and the outcome of the forthcoming
ministerial meeting will be an important contribution to
whatever further action is considered necessary to achieve
sustainable utilisation of the natural resources of the
region and to secure its economic future.