WA Agriculture Minister Kim Chance has welcomed the Federal Government's $2 billion spend on the Natural Heritage Trust Phase 3 Program, but said the impact on joint natural resource management activity would not be clear until he saw details of the plan.
WA Agriculture Minister Kim Chance has welcomed the Federal Government's $2 billion spend on the Natural Heritage Trust Phase 3 Program, but said the impact on joint natural resource management activity would not be clear until he saw details of the plan.
The full text of an announcement from the Minister's office is pasted below
Agriculture and Food Minister Kim Chance has welcomed the commitment of the Australian Government to the Natural Heritage Trust Phase 3 Program but has said the Federal Budget impact on joint Natural Resource Management activity would not be clear until the State saw the detail of the plan.
"The new NHT Phase 3 recognises the need for on-going expenditure on NRM issues including salinity, weed and pest management, and biodiversity protection," Mr Chance said.
"The Commonwealth's announcement of $2 billion over five years is encouraging and will provide some welcome prospect of continuity for existing programs and our community-based Regional Natural Action Plan groups.
"What we are seeing is the merger of the NAP Program and the Natural Heritage Trust. That makes sense; however, the State will expect to continue the existing arrangement of matching the equivalent of the NHT funding-in-kind.
"We hope the Australian Government does not pull its usual trick of asking the State to match every cent of Commonwealth expenditure with new untied money, as this State already spends approximately $250 million per year on natural resource management through Government agencies."
The Minister said the key to new funding arrangements would be the bilateral agreements between the State Government and the Commonwealth.
"The existing bilateral agreements expire in June 2008 and I will begin negotiating a new agreement as soon as the Commonwealth Government announces the essential framework of its new program and that they are ready to begin work on a new agreement," he said.
No details, such as the level of funding or the programs that will be eligible have been available to the Western Australian Government while framing the 2007 Budget.
Mr Chance said the State was looking forward to negotiating an agreement with the Commonwealth Government for a new national NRM program.
He said WA would seek assurance from the Commonwealth that it would not penalise Western Australia for its ongoing proactive approach to NRM and would recognise compatible initiatives announced as part of the 2007-08 budget process.
"The WA Government will seek to reach agreement with the Commonwealth as quickly as possible," Mr Chance said.
The Minister congratulated regional and local communities for their contribution.
"Western Australians working in the regions make a vital frontline contribution to natural resource management," he said.
"The State Government will continue to provide all the support we can."
