TUESDAY 23 September, 1980
ASSISTANCE TO QUEENSLAND LOCAL AUTHORITIES
The Prime Minister, Mr. Malcolm Fraser and the Premier of Queensland,
Mr. Joh Bjelke-Petersen, today announced agreement on assistance to
Local Authorities in Queensland, where the current drought had placed
the availability of normal water supplies at risk.
Mr. Fraser and Mr. Bjelke-Petersen said that the special initiatives,
which would only apply for the duration of the current drought,
would be of particular benefit in Laidley, Thallon and Mount Morgan
where the situation is particularly difficult.
The arrangements decided on today will enable Local Authorities to
augment existing water supplies on a permanent basis and will also
subsidise the purchase and the transport of water from the nearest
available source to the local water supply system.
To be eligible for assistance, the local Authority will be required
to demonstrate that existing water supplies are adequate under
normal conditions, that the present supply difficulties are a direct
consequence of the current drought, and that the proposed remedial
action is the most practical and economical way of supplementing
the town's water supply.
Mr. Fraser and Mr. Bjelke-Petersen agreed that th6 State would make
a non-repayable grant of one-third of the cost of approved facilities.
The remainder would be provided by Queensland, in the form of
repayable loans, on repayment terms and at interest rates similar to
those applicable to loans and to primary producers experiencing
drought conditions, with such expenditure being eligible for
Commonwealth assistance in accordance with the established Natural
cisaster relief arrangements.
in relation to the purchase and the transport of water, the Prime
Minister and the Premier agreed that this should be-eligible for a
dollar for dolar subsidy. The Conm-onwealth and the State would met
cent of the costs under the Natural Disaster Assistance Arrangements.
remnaining 0 per cent would be met by the Local Authority from
its own resources. / 2
FOR MEDIA
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Mr. Fraser and Mr. Bjelke-Petersen expressed concern at the
severity of the drought in Queensland and agreed that those
measures were well designed to ensure that adequate water
supplies were available in areas where shortages were developing.
The generosity of the measures provided tangible evidence of
the concern felt by both Governments.
The State, of course, will be responsible for the administrative
arrangements associated with distributing these further assistance
measures. 000---