Far North Queensland Regional Water Supply Strategy
Source: Queensland. Minister for Natural Resources. Media Release.
" In the lead up to Queensland’s Growth Management Summit, Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson has announced plans to secure a long-term water strategy for far north Queensland. The Far North Queensland Regional Water Supply Strategy will focus on the future water needs for urban, rural and industrial water users in the wider Cairns area, up to Port Douglas, out to Ravenshoe and west to Dimbulah."

Restoring the Balance in the Murray-Darling Basin
Source: Australia. Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
"The health of the Murray-Darling Basin is in decline. Available water is currently over-allocated, and this problem is likely to become worse as water availability declines due to climate change. The Australian Government's Restoring the Balance in the Murray-Darling Basin Program is an important component of Water for the Future, the Australian Government's $12.9 billion national plan on water. Under Water for the Future the Government has committed $3.1 billion over 10 years to purchase water in the Murray-Darling Basin. The program will complement a range of other measures to achieve sustainable water management in the Basin."

Water in Australia: Water for the Future
Source: Australia. Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
"Australia faces major challenges in ensuring sustainable water supply in the face of drying climate and rising demand for water. In response, the Australian Government's framework, Water for the Future, provides national leadership in water reform for all Australians. The Australian Government's Water for the Future priorities will be delivered through a ten-year, $12.9 billion investment in strategic programs, improved water management arrangements, and a renewed commitment to deliver a range of water policy reforms in both rural and urban areas."

Queensland Government clear about water quality
Source: Queensland. Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy. Media Release
"South East Queenslanders will for the first time receive regular reports on the quality of their bulk drinking water under a Queensland Government initiative introduced.
Launching Oz Water Conference ’10 Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson released the SEQ Water Grid’s first Customer Confidence Report (Bulk Water) on the quality of drinking water distributed under the region’s new water supply arrangements. Bulk water is the water supplied wholesale to councils through the SEQ Water Grid for retail sale to the public.“This report gives South East Queenslanders access to one of the most comprehensive drinking water quality reporting regimes in Australia,” Mr Robertson said."

Water Resource Plan for Wet Tropics
Source: Queensland. Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy. Media Release
"North and Far North Queensland communities have an opportunity to have their say on the State Government’s proposed Water Resource Plan for the Wet Tropics.
Announcing the start of the planning process Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson said it was important the community and other stakeholders had an input into future water use for the area. “We are developing a 10-year Water Resources Plan to ensure sustainable allocations and management of water resources and help secure this unique environmental feature for the next generation,” he said.
“The Wet Tropics has some 2100 water bores in use making it the third highest for any water plan area in Queensland and there is significant demand to extract more surface and groundwater. The Bligh Government wants to ensure these water resources are managed in a sustainable way while maintaining a balance with economic development in the region."

Northern Pipeline (Qld) approved with strict conditions.
Source: Australia. Minister for Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Media release
"The northern pipeline interconnector will be allowed to proceed under national environment law but must meet strict environmental conditions. A departmental delegate has determined that, with the mitigation measures in place and the strict conditions imposed on the project, it will not have unacceptable impacts on nationally protected matters. In light of this limitation, the project will not have a significant impact on matters protected under national environment law."

DIRECT ACTION ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Source: Australia. Federal Opposition. Policy
"A Coalition Government will take direct action to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by five percent by 2020. The Coalition’s climate action policy provides incentives for Australian families and businesses to reduce their carbon emissions and focuses on meaningful, effective and direct action to improve Australia’s environment."

THE COALITION'S DIRECT ACTION PLAN - POLICY
Source: Australia. Opposition Leader. Policy
"A Coalition Government will implement a climate change strategy based on direct action to reduce emissions and improve the environment. Direct action on soil carbons will be the major plank of our strategy, supported by other direct action measures that will reduce CO2 emissions by 5 per cent by 2020 based on 1990 levels and deliver significant environmental outcomes – without the need for a great big new tax."

50 year SEQ Water Strategy: Bligh Government paves the way for water security
Source: Queensland. Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy. Media Release
"The Bligh Government has released the revised draft of the South East Queensland Water Strategy for public feedback over the next four months. Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Stephen Robertson said during the consultation phase a residential consumption target of 200 litres per person a day will apply across the whole of South East Queensland.
Mr Robertson said the State Government wanted to hear from residents about whether the 200 litres target was right for them."
South East Queensland Water Strategy

$56 million for development of a national water market system
Source: Australia. Minister for Climate Change and Water. Media Release
"Australia’s water market will be significantly strengthened following a $56 million investment by the Rudd Government to develop a faster, more efficient and nationally focused water market system, the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong, announced today."

$86 Million for stormwater harvesting and reuse
Source: Australia. Minister for Climate Change and Water. Media release
"Thirteen organisations will share in $86 million to undertake innovative stormwater capture projects to help secure water supplies for Australian cities."

Coordinated release of Draft Cooper Creek Water Plan and Wild River Declaration proposal in 2010
Source: Queensland. Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy. Media Release
"Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Stephen Robertson has announced that the release of the new Draft Cooper Creek Water Resource Plan will now coincide with the release of a wild river declaration proposal for the same area.“We expect to release both the draft plan and a wild river declaration proposal for the area, as an integrated package in mid 2010,” Mr Robertson said. “The government wants to ensure that the two processes are coordinated and the final plan and potentially the final declaration, are consistent with each other.
“Releasing these together will ensure that the public has all the facts on the table when providing feedback to the department. Consultation on the plan and the declaration can now occur simultaneously."

Free Household Chemical Drop-Off Service Launched
Source: Tasmania. Minister for Environment, Parks and Heritage
The State Government is teaming up with local councils to help Tasmanians remove potentially dangerous unwanted and out-of-date chemical products from their homes and deposit them at a free drop-off site.
The 'ChemSafe Homes Tasmania' program is part of the Tasmanian Household Hazardous Waste Collection Project.
This is a joint project between the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment, the Local Government Association of Tasmania and three regional bodies - the Southern Waste Strategy Authority, the Cradle Coast Waste Management Group and the Northern Tasmania Regional Waste Management Group.

Joint Approach To Water And Sewerage Management
Source: Tasmania. Dept of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment
"A joint plan to improve the quality of Tasmania's drinking water has been developed by the three regional water and sewerage corporations and the regulators of the sector, the Minister for Primary Industries and Water, David Llewellyn, announced today. The Compliance Implementation Plan will result in better asset management, more reliable drinking water quality, and improved health and environmental outcomes for sewerage treatment. The Plan also provides a firm foundation for the ongoing management of $2.0 billion worth of community assets."

NSW embargo on water trades lifted
Source: New South Wales. Premier. Media Release.
"The Australian and New South Wales governments today announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) allowing New South Wales farmers to sell their water entitlements to the Federal Government to return to the Murray-Darling Basin’s stressed rivers and wetlands."

New $8 million project launched to restore local waterways
Source: Queensland. Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Rural and Regional Queensland
"The Honourable Tim Mulherin has officially launched the Healthy Country project. This project is supporting communities, farmers and scientists to work together to improve water quality in South East Queensland catchments and Moreton Bay.
Steps have already been taken to address these demands. Nitrogen loads to waterways have been reduced by 40 percent, urban stormwater or catchment management plans are in place for all major catchments in the region, and riparian zones are being rebuilt. To further secure our waterways, the Queensland Government is investing $20 million over four years to reduce pollution loads and improve the health of our waterways in South East Queensland. This investment includes $8 million for Healthy Country to take action in rural areas through waterway management and best practice management of the land."

Planning Policy on Healthy Waters Released
Source: Queensland. Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability. Media Release
"Queenslanders are being asked to have their say on how Governments can better provide for healthier waterways when planning urban development. Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones released a Draft State Planning Policy for Healthy Waters for public comment. Ms Jones said the new planning policy would protect the ecological health of Queensland’s waterways by minimising pollution from urban stormwater."

Minister approves Cotter Dam DA with conditions
Source: ACT. Minister for Planning
Minister for Planning Andrew Barr has approved the Development Application for the proposed enlargement of the Cotter Dam. Exercising his call-in powers under the Planning and Development Act, Mr Barr has applied a number of conditions to the approval.
The conditions include:
· requiring a revised Noise Management Plan including measures which address noise and vibration from blasting
· measures for addressing noise and associated health concerns in relation to residences affected by 24 hour construction
· requiring ACTEW to provide details of landscaping remediation before work starts and
· a requirement for a Decommissioning Plan, including methods for salvage of artefacts which will be subject to inundation or construction impact.

10 Per Cent Limit on Water Trades Lifted
Source: Victoria. Minister for Water. Media Release
"The 10 per cent limit on the volume of Victorian water entitlements that can be owned without being associated with land will be lifted tonight. Water Minister Tim Holding said Goulburn-Murray Water would begin processing more than 400 water trades from tomorrow that were put on hold until the Water Amendment (Non Water User Limit) Bill 2009 came into effect. “The Brumby Labor Government is working to ensure farmers and regional communities can meet the challenges of ongoing drought and climate change,” Mr Holding said.“Irrigators are making important decisions about their future in changing conditions and continuing drought, and they are looking for more flexibility. Removing the 10 per cent non-water user limit will provide more choice for irrigators who want to buy more water or those who want to sell their water entitlements."

New measures to make swimmers Shark Smart
Source: New South Wales. Minister for Primary Industries. Media Release.
"The NSW Government will introduce a range of measures, including the first ever public education campaign, to help keep swimmers safe this summer, Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald, announced."