Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Other initiatives
Since the initial salinity and drainage strategy, additional initiatives have been
developed to guide the participating governments towards achieving environmental
results. The Native Fish Strategy for the basin aims to restore native fish communities in
the basin to 60 per cent of their pre-European levels over 50 years. It provides the
framework for community involvement, interstate coordination of management actions
and policies, as well as conducting research, monitoring and reporting management
activity. The Sustainable Rivers Audit aims to provide consistent, basin-wide
information on the health of the basin's rivers in order to promote sustainable land and
water management. The joint monitoring effort, using consistent methods, has started
across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the Australian
Capital Territory.
Water reform initiatives
Council of Australian Governments
The Council of Australian Governments (CoAG) is the peak inter-governmental
forum in Australia, which is chaired by the Prime Minister, and comprises state premiers,
territory chief ministers and the President of the Australian Local Government
Association. It first met in 1992. Its role is to initiate, develop and monitor the
implementation of policy reforms that are of national significance and which require
cooperative action by Australian governments.
In 1994, all state and territory governments agreed that the management and
regulation of Australia's water needed significant changes. An agreement was reached on
a package of reforms including water prices, allocations and trading, environmental and
water quality, and public education and that these reforms would be included under the
umbrella of the National Competition Policy (NCP). With this agreement, the
governments formally acknowledged that the Australian rivers, catchments and aquifers
do not stop at state boundaries and that development activities can impact upon other
states. Under the NCP arrangements the water reforms were assessed regularly.
The key areas of water reform include water pricing based on cost recovery and
volume used, establishment of specified water entitlements and arrangements for trade,
environmental allocation, the establishment of regulatory and water service institutions
and public education and consultation.
In 2003, CoAG noted the continuing national imperative of increasing the
productivity and efficiency of Australia's water use to sustain rural and urban
communities and the need to ensure the health of river and groundwater systems. This
required water reform to mover further towards arrangements that provide greater
certainty for investors and the environment. In 2004, CoAG agreed to a National Water
Initiative (NWI) to improve water management across Australia.
National Water Initiative
The NWI builds on the 1994 NCP water reform initiative but more clearly articulates
targets and limits the coverage of reform. It focuses on establishing securely defined
water access entitlements, sustainable water planning, environmental water entitlements,
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