Concern for regional waterways

The Deputy Premier and Minister for Agriculture and Resources, Patrick McNamara, responding to the Labor Party’s plan to abolish the Catchment Management Authority (CMA) levy, said he feared that the move would lead to a cessation in much-needed environmental works in regional Victoria.

He also feared that the move would lead to an increase in charges to rate payers in regional centres.

"This Government and regional Victorians have entered a partnership to improve our catchments. Government funding has been doubled to $140 million while, through the levy, the community will contribute $17 million.

The $17 million is raised by local CMAs and goes back into improving local waterways considered by the communities themselves to be priorities.

If the problems of salinity, land degradation and blue-green algae are not solved, the result may be a reduction in investment in regional Victoria.

Such a reduction, the Minister said, would compromise the State Government’s commitment to increasing Victoria’s food exports to $12 billion by 2010.

"Whether it be dairy or horticulture or any industry, we need clean water to allow us to achieve this target.

"That is why, on top of the increased funding for catchments, the Government has injected $450 million into regional Victoria to bring the water quality there up to world health standards by 2000."

(News Release, Office of the Deputy Premier and Minister for Agriculture and Resources, March 16, 1999)