Appendix
1
TERMS OF REFERENCE
On 28 October
2011 the Senate moved that the following matter be referred to the Rural
Affairs and Transport References Committee for inquiry and report by 30
November 2011:
The management
of the Murray-Darling Basin, and the development and implementation of the
Basin Plan, with particular reference to:
(a) the implications for agriculture and
food production and the environment;
(b) the social and economic impacts of
changes proposed in the Basin;
(c) the impact on sustainable
productivity and on the viability of the Basin;
(d) the opportunities for a national
reconfiguration of rural and regional Australia and its agricultural resources
against the background of the Basin Plan and the science of the future;
(e) the extent to which options for more
efficient water use can be found and the implications of more efficient water
use, mining and gas extraction on the aquifer and its contribution to run off
and water flow;
(f) the opportunities for producing more
food by using less water with smarter farming and plant technology;
(g) the national implications of foreign
ownership, including:
(i) corporate and
sovereign takeover of agriculture land and water, and
(ii) water speculators;
(h) means to achieve sustainable
diversion limits in a way that recognises production efficiency;
(i) options for all water savings
including use of alternative basins; and
(j) any other related matters.
IMPACT OF MINING COAL SEAM GAS
The Rural Affairs
and Transport References Committee, as part of its inquiry into management of
the Murray Darling Basin, is examining the impact of mining coal seam gas on
the management of the basin. The committee will examine:
- The
economic, social and environmental impacts of mining coal seam gas on:
- the
sustainability of water aquifers and future water licensing arrangements;
-
the
property rights and values of landholders;
-
the
sustainability of prime agricultural land and Australia’s food task;
- the
social and economic benefits or otherwise for regional towns and the effective
management of relationships between mining and other interests; and
- other
related matters including health impacts.
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