PRIME MINISTER
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P J KEATING MP
MURRAY-DARLING BASIN
Mr Howard's claim to ownership of the sustainable
agriculture/ landcare/ Murray-Darling Basin agenda is a sure sign that once
again, the Coalition is struggling to put together anything credible in a key
policy area.
If you can't develop a decent policy of your own, just claim that someone who
can has stotlen yours.
Mr Howard must have been hoping that everyone else h ad been asleep just
like him until late 1995 when he first discovered the Murray-Darling Basin or
that no one had kept any records.
Unfortunately, the rest of us have been aware of the Murray Darling and
land degradation and the potential of food exports to Asia for quite some
time and actually doing something about it as the attached records shows.
Unlike Mr Howard, Labor has an unparalleled record of achievements on
Landcare, and the Murray -Darling. We don't need to go scratching around in
the empty Coalition policy cupboard for a good idea.
The record speaks for itself.
CANBERRA January 1996 6/ 96
Some Key Dates
1788-1983: Years of neglect.
1983 Labor Government establishes a Commonwealth/ State
taskforce for drought management. The results included the
removal of fodder subsidies which exacerbate land degradation
by encouraging overstocking during drought.
1983 Removal of tax incentives for land clearing by Treasurer
Keating
1983 Establishment of the National Soil Conservation Program
( NSCP)
1988 Establishment of the Murray Darling Basin Commission and
Ministerial Council.
1988 Commonwealth and States develop and endorse the National
Soil Conservation Strategy.
1988 Establishment of the Community Landcare component of the
NSCP.
1989 The launch of the Decade of Landcare with funding of $ 320
million over ten years
1990 Establishment of the Land and Water Research and
Development Corporation
1990 National Drought Policy which for the first time ensured that
drought assistance took proper regard for environmental
factors.
July 1992
Aug 1992
Dec 1992 Establishment of the Agri-Food Council with its goal to increase
high value-added food exports to more than $ 7 billion per year
by the end of the decade.
Establishment of the Agriculture and Resource Management
Council of Australia and New Zealand ( ARMCANZ) with the
objective of developing integrated and sustainable and natural
resource management policies and practices.
Prime Ministers Environment Statement incorporating a
substantial increases in funding for native vegetation, inland
rivers and land and water management.
1993-1995
June 1994
Nov 1994
June 1995
Sept 1995 Prime Minister has numerous visits to regional Australia to
discuss the drought and the state of our natural resources.
Prime Minister's Science and Engineering Council discusses its
report " Food into Asia: The Next Steps"
Establishment of the Prime Minister's Land Management
Taskforce Prime Minister's Science and Engineering Council discusses its
report " Sustaining the Agricultural Resource Base."
Prime Minister during a visit to Orange announces an inquiry
into " Removing Impediments to the Export of Perishable
Produce."
Oct 1995 Prime Minister meets with Industry Leaders in Canberra to
discuss agriculture and our food industries.
Oct 1995 Prime Minister receives the report of the Land Management
. Taskforce during a visit to Eyre Peninsula.
John Howard's Record
1974-1994
Jan 1995 Years of neglect.
Ian McLachlan's pamphlet " A Clean Australia" is released with
unfunded commitments of between $ 5 billion and $ 15 billion.
Key elements are quickly disowned by the Leader of the
National Party, other coalition members, the NFF and others in
industry.
Oct 1995 John Howard expresses general support, but with no details, for
the rehabilitation of the Murray Darling system.
Jan 1996The nation continues to await details of John Howard's support
for the environment and agriculture.