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jAUSTHALIAL PRESS STATEMENT NO.
January 1974
Joint Statement by the Prime Minister, the Hon. E. G. Whitlam,
and the Premier of South Australia, Mr Dunstan
URBAN AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT SIGNED
The Prime Minister, Mr Whitlam and the Premier of
South Australia, Mr Dunstan today signed an Urban and
Regional Development Agreement which will provide assistance
of more than $ 41 million for programs in South Australia
this financial year.
The South Australian Government is the first
State Government to enter into such an Agreement which may
be the initial step towards a long term agreement covering
a wider range of urban and regional development programs.
The signing of this comprehensive Agreement is.
a tangible result of the desire of the Australian and
South Australian Governments to co-operate to improve the
day-to-day lives of South Australians.
This Agreement covers financial assistance for:
The South Australian Land Commission to make land
available at a price people can afford.
The development of Monarto to provide an alternative
to existing cities
The provision of sewerage and water supply to
improve water-quality.
The Area Improvement and the National Estate
Programs.
CANBERRA. A. C. T. kI y
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SOUTH AUSTRA I. N LAE-D COIIISSIUCX
A total of e24 million is available as a 30 year loan at the
long term bond rate with repayments deferred for the first ten
years mainly to acquire large areas of land for urban use.
The program is aimed directly at increasing the supply of
serviced land on the market, making it available at a price
people can afford to pay and which excludes or greatly reduces
the speculative component, and at helping the co-ordination of
urban development.
Legislation to establish the South Australian Land Commission
was passed by the State Government in October, 1973, and $ 8 million
was made available by the Australian Government last financial year
which was used to acquire 1,220 hectares of land.
South Australia pioneered the program and has shown the way
to other 8tates. It is expected that the first land will be
put on the market in March.
IM'! NAYTO The Australian and South Australian Government have agreed to
accept the Monarto Development Commission's first stage development
plan which provides for a population target of between 25,000 and
30,000 people by the end of 1983.
The development program for this financial year includes land
acquisition, investigations and studies, and furth~ r tree planting
which is expected to cost about S7.5 million.
Under the Agreement signed today, the Australian Government
will supply z; 6 million, or 80 per cent of the total experditure
whichever is the lesser amount, mainly by way of loans and matching
grants. rThe development of iHonarto and growth centres in other Sta: tes
is aimed at encouraging' the rapid development of a small number
of regional growth centres as desirable alternatives to existing
cities. The role of the iMonarto Development Commission is to plan and
manage the development of Monarto and the attraction of population
and industry to the new city.
.3.
AIU& A LLRV~~.
A tot'al of 6500, C00 will be available in the ILorthern
1Spencer Guf legio of iouwvh Autasfor an Are"-Im~ provem'ent
Program which aims to link tU'he thr e levels of Government and
community groups togeth.' er in a cooeaieventure.
The programs are & evelIoped in co-oparation with the Regioinal
Organis--tioni of Couicils ccoovvaeircsh the local government counc-Il
areas of" Carrietuon, Cry: s -tal Eol, ' co7getown, Gl~ adstone, Y'allet,
Hawker, i& etozDstitJ1ini. icpaliity, .,' anyaka-Qa or n,
. U" ura, Or.;-oroo, 12etei-b3croughDitrct Peterboroiugh Iuiiaiy
Pirie, Port Augusta, PortL-Cermeir., Po-rtV Pinie, Red Hill, Spa2. din6,
W'hyalla and il; ztn
Lrea irapr've~ ent P'-ogram. s aedirycctcc{ to specific regions
selected for social and ecoromic reg ions. and because major
defiieniesQxit. fuds whi-Lch ; 3re for specific Purposes,
aiv, to give the rei z betrlvnocn-viro reit an At
improve forward inng
SE. WERAGE Under the National Sewerage " rogram 25,750,000 will be
made. available to remove existing backlog of unsewered
premises and to improve sewerage treatment, the long term
aim being to ensure that by 1982 all new homes can be
connected to an environmentally adequate sewerage system.
The program also covers the trea. tment of industrial wastes.
An important underlying object ive is the protection of
water supplies from pollution.
This year the Program is being extended to cover smaller
cities and the centres which will benefit from this extension
in South Australia are Whyalla and I-it. Gambier.
The funds will be made available in the form of 30% noninterest
bearing non-repayable grants and the rest as loans
at the long term bond rate.
WATER SUPPLY
Adelaide's water treatment scheme will be assisted under
this agreement by the provision of 34.4 million this year. These
funds will also be in the form of 350 grants and 70/ loans.
Adelaide's water comes from local catchments and the River Murray.
Both of these sources are contaminated and the city's water
supply falls a long way short of international quality standards.
The water tre: ltment scheme is aimed at completely eliminating this
problem over the next 10 years. The various planned treatment
works will be supplemented by measures to protect the water
catchment areas wherover possible.
i'V~ UNT~ ES TATE
A total of 1;: 866,000 will be made available for land
acquisition, studies, restor-tion, preservation and improvement
of landscapes and buildings of special significance.
Under the Natdonal Estate Program in 1973/ 74v $ 262,000
was provided to assist with 14 projects, and considerably
more projects are expected to be undertaken this financial
year. The Australian Government recently approved the establishment
of an Australian Heritage Commission which will play a vital
role in future programs when th-, necessary legislation is passed
by the Australian Parliament.
Projects approved in the program this financial year have
been recommrended to the Minister for Urban and Regional
Development, Tom Uren, by the Interim Committee on the National
Estate.
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