Inquiry into water management in the Coorong and Lower Lakes
Terms of Reference
- On 27 August 2008, the Senate referred water management in the Coorong and Lower Lakes for inquiry and report
by 30 September 2008.
- the volume of water which could be provided into the
Murray-Darling system to replenish the Lower Lakes and Coorong;
- options for sourcing and delivering this water, including:
- possible incentive and compensation schemes for current water holders
who participate in a once-off voluntary contribution of water to this
national emergency,
- alternative options for the acquisition of sufficient water,
- likely transmission losses and the most efficient and effective
strategies to manage the delivery of this water,
- Commonwealth powers to obtain and deliver water and possible
legislative or regulative impediments, and
- assessment of the potential contribution of bringing forward
irrigation infrastructure spending under the Council of Australian
Governments agreement to deliver water to save the Coorong and Lower Lakes;
- the impact of any water buybacks on rural and regional
communities and Adelaide including compensation and structural adjustment;
and
- any other related matters.
- The implications for the long-term
sustainable management of the Murray Darling Basin system for inquiry and
report by 4 December 2008, with particular reference to:
- the adequacy of current whole-of -basin governance arrangements
under the Intergovernmental Agreement;
- the adequacy of current arrangements in relation to the
implementation of the Basin Plan and water sharing arrangements;
- long-term prospects for the management of Ramsar wetlands
including the supply of adequate environmental flows;
- the risks to the basin posed by unregulated water interception
activities and water theft;
- the ability of the Commonwealth to bind state and territory
governments to meet their obligations under the National Water Initiative;
- the adequacy of existing state and territory water and natural
resource management legislation and enforcement arrangements; and
- the impacts of climate change on the likely future availability
of water
In conjunction with these
references the Committee will also consider Emergency Water
(Murray-Darling Basin Rescue) Bill 2008 for inquiry and report by 30
September 2008.
Written submissions are invited and should be addressed to:
The Secretary
Senate Standing Committees on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
The Committee prefers to receive submissions electronically as
an attached document - email:
rrat.sen@aph.gov.au
The closing date for receipt of
submissions for water management in the Coorong and Lower Lakes is
11 September 2008.
The closing date for receipt of
submissions for the implications for the long-term sustainable management
of the Murray Darling Basin system is 19 November 2008
Submissions become Committee documents and are made public
only after a decision by the Committee. Persons making submissions must
not release them without the approval of the Committee. Submissions are
covered by parliamentary privilege but the unauthorised release of them is
not.
Following consideration of submissions, the Committee will
hold public hearings. The Committee will consider all submissions and may
invite individuals and organisations to give evidence at the public
hearings.
Inquiries from hearing and speech impaired people should be directed to the Parliament House TTY number (02) 6277 7799. Adobe also provides tools for the blind and visually impaired to access PDF documents. These tools are available at: http://access.adobe.com/. If you require any special arrangements in order to enable you to participate in a committee inquiry, please contact the committee secretary.
For further information, contact:
Committee Secretary
Senate Standing Committees on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Australia
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