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Australia's long-term economic prospects depend on the sustainable use of our natural resources and conservation of our unique biological diversity. There are significant challenges in addressing past damage to our land and water resources and restoring our environment for future generations.
The Federal Government has responded to these challenges through the successful implementation of the Natural Heritage Trust. Since it was established in 1997, some 300,000 Australians have been involved in Trust activities and over 10,300 projects worth nearly $1.2 billion have been approved for funding through programmes such as Landcare, Rivercare, Murray-Darling 2001, Bushcare, Coasts and Clean Seas and Endangered Species. The catalytic effect of Commonwealth funding is substantial, with community and State investment estimated to be three dollars for every dollar provided by the Commonwealth through the Trust.
The expenditure estimate for the Natural Heritage Trust in 2001-02 is $275 million. The Government is extending the Trust with additional funding of over $1 billion from 2002-03 to 2006-07, in addition to the $1.5 billion already committed from 1996-97 to 2001-02. Funding will allow the Government to continue its strong national leadership role in addressing national sustainable production and conservation priorities across Australia. This will represent over 11 years commitment to funding on-ground action to conserve and repair Australia's unique environment. The Trust is leading the world in terms of government delivery of integrated environmental and sustainable agriculture outcomes.
The overall direction and types of activities funded under the extended Trust will build on the original Trust outcomes and will be consistent with the objectives of the Natural Heritage Trust of Australia Act 1997. The Trust will continue to be jointly managed through the Environment and Heritage, and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry portfolios.
A new key Federal Government initiative is the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality. The National Action Plan was endorsed by the Prime Minister, Premiers and Chief Ministers at the Council of Australian Governments on 3 November 2000. It involves a funding package of $1.4 billion from the Commonwealth, States and Territories. The significant funding allocation is over a seven-year period and complements the Commonwealth's Natural Heritage Trust.
The National Action Plan represents the first concerted and targeted national strategy to address salinity and water quality problems, two of the most significant issues confronting Australia's rural industries, regional communities and our environment.
The centrepiece of the Action Plan is community-based regional bodies that will develop and implement integrated catchment or regional natural resource management plans. Governments will support this regional approach through substantial block funding, for strategic actions specified in catchment plans and through the provision of technical assistance, skills training, information and data.
The National Action Plan and Natural Heritage Trust together represent the biggest ever investment in protecting and enhancing Australia's environment and natural resources.
The Government is providing funding of $31.8 million over five years from 1999-2000 to assist with the implementation of the Great Artesian Basin Strategic Management Plan. This measure meets the Government's election commitment in Primed for Growth, which was to support pastoral enterprises, and mining and extractive industries in or around the Great Artesian Basin by facilitating progress towards the restoration of groundwater pressures.
Under this measure, grants are made to States to assist bore rehabilitation and the replacement of open drains with piping. The works are being funded in partnership with State Governments and water users, and managed to ensure lasting change in attitudes, water use and grazing management practices.
The Commonwealth is a partner in the inter-jurisdictional arrangement that brings together six governments and the community in a long-term, coordinated approach to the sustainable management and use of the Basin's water, land and other environmental resources.
The Commonwealth will provide $11.8 million in 2001-02 to support the activities of the Murray Darling Basin Commission. Under the Natural Heritage Trust, the Commonwealth is providing total funding of approximately $195 million over six years from 1996-97 to 2001-02, through the Murray-Darling 2001 Programme, for activities to support a sustainable future for the Basin, its natural systems and its communities.
The Government will provide funding of $21.7 million over four years, commencing in 2001-02, to enable the Australian Greenhouse Office to continue to advance Australia's involvement in the development of the international climate change agenda. The funding provides for the capacity to evaluate progress towards Australia's commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and targets under the Kyoto Protocol.
The Government will provide funding of $24.2 million over four years, commencing in 2001-02, to enable the Australian Greenhouse Office to continue the development of domestic greenhouse policies. The funding will support the analysis and development of cost-effective greenhouse gas abatement policies, including the reduction of emissions from key energy supply and transport sectors. This will continue implementation of Government commitments under the National Greenhouse Strategy.
As part of the Prime Minister's Statement Safeguarding the Future the Government has allocated $5.5 million to the year 2002-03 to Bush for Greenhouse. The programme will enhance Australia's greenhouse sinks estate through facilitating corporate investment into re-vegetation activities.
The Renewable Remote Power Generation Programme provides rebates of up to 50 per cent of the cost of installing renewable energy generation equipment that reduces diesel use for off-grid electricity supply. The programme is funded from excise paid on diesel used to generate electricity by public generators. States and Territories will be allocated funding on the basis of the relevant diesel fuel excise paid in that state or territory. Up to $180 million will be available over the life of the programme.
The Government will provide $8 million funding over four years, starting in 2001-02 for an ongoing monitoring and compliance programme to enable Australia to meet commitments under the Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000. This Act will allow the Government to prescribe uniform national standards for the quality of fuel supplied in Australia, and will protect Australians from emissions resulting from the use of impure fuel. Changes to fuel quality standards will benefit the environment through the reduction of polluting emissions.
The Government will provide $5.1 million funding over four years for the extension of the National Pollutant Inventory Programme, commencing in 2001-02. The National Pollutant Inventory provides all sectors of the Australian community with information on the types and amounts of pollutants being emitted to the air, land and water in Australia.
The Government is providing $1.7 million over four years, commencing 2001-02, to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to enhance management of aquaculture adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Coastal aquaculture, particularly prawn farming, is a fast-growing industry on the Queensland coast. This measure will serve to ensure that aquaculture developments do not impact upon the environmental values of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
The Government will extend funding by $1.7 million over four years, commencing in 2001-02, to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to meet an estimated shortfall in receipts from the environmental management charge which visitors contribute towards the maintenance of the reef environment.
The Government will provide funding of $6.4 million over four years, commencing in 2001-02, for refurbishment and an ongoing operational subsidy for the Townsville Aquarium - Reef Headquarters. This will enhance visitor facilities and ensure that health and safety standards are maintained.
The Government will provide $2.8 million over four years, commencing in 2001-02, to maintain and enhance Australia's capacity to meet wildlife and biodiversity conservation responsibilities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and wildlife protection legislation.
The Government will provide $5 million in grants in 2001-02 to hotels to meet up to 50 per cent of costs incurred in preserving the historic features or attributes of hotels in rural and regional Australia. Grants will only be paid to hotels without gaming machines, and the social, economic and regional benefits of hotel restoration will be taken into account in determining eligibility for grants.
The Government will provide a grant of up to $5 million in 2001-02 to the Goondiwindi Town Council to develop a natural heritage and recreational facility at Serpentine Lagoon, Goondiwindi. The facility is needed because Boobera Lagoon is to be closed to powerboats in May 2002 as a result of a declaration of protection under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984. The new facility will satisfy relevant Commonwealth, State and local legislative requirements and its development will enhance employment opportunities in the region.
The Cape York Natural Heritage Trust Plan is providing up to $40 million to protect the outstanding natural and cultural values of Cape York. The plan was developed by the Commonwealth in consultation with the Queensland Government and is being delivered by both governments in partnership with the Cape York community.
The plan takes into account the recommendations concerning environmental and cultural protection outlined in the Cape York Peninsula Land Use Strategy, Stage II Report. Since June 1998 the Natural Heritage Trust has provided over $11 million to 49 projects across the Cape.
In recognition of the role of the community in maintaining the nationally important economic, social, environment and heritage values associated with the Lake Eyre Basin, the Federal Government is continuing to support the Lake Eyre Basin Regional Initiative, in partnership with the South Australian and Queensland Governments.
Under the Regional Initiative, the Basin community is taking responsibility for achieving sustainable regional development outcomes while protecting the Basin's unique environmental, social and cultural values. The Lake Eyre Basin Coordinating Group, which has a central role in the implementation of the Initiative, is being supported under the Natural Heritage Trust.
Following extensive community consultation, the Federal Government, and Queensland and South Australian Governments signed the Lake Eyre Basin Inter-governmental Agreement on 21 October 2000. The Agreement provides for the sustainable management of the water and related natural resources associated with the major cross-border river systems of the Basin. The Commonwealth has enacted legislation recognising and approving the Agreement. The South Australian legislation to ratify the Agreement was passed by the State Parliament on 3 April 2001 and it is proposed that the Queensland ratifying legislation also be introduced in 2001.
The Agreement establishes a Ministerial Forum which has responsibility for developing, adopting and reviewing policies and strategies related to the management of water and related natural resources in the Basin's major river systems, to minimise and/or mitigate adverse cross border impacts. The Forum will formalise associated community and scientific advisory arrangements, to ensure that community views and local knowledge are fully recognised in decision-making and management processes.
The Government will allocate $9.3 million in 2001-02 to the National Oceans Office.
The centrepiece of the work of the National Oceans Office is the development of Regional Marine Plans. The Government will establish an integrated planning process for the marine waters out to the 200 nautical mile limit of Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone and the extended continental shelf beyond that.
ChemCollect is a national programme to which the Commonwealth will contribute approximately $13.1 million. This will be matched on a dollar for dollar basis by the State and Northern Territory Governments. This one-off government funded collection scheme will be followed by ongoing chemicals collections funded by the agricultural chemicals industry.
ChemCollect provides farmers with the opportunity to safely dispose of unwanted agricultural and veterinary chemicals. If left on farms these chemicals pose a risk to the community, agricultural markets and the environment.
The three-year programme will have a particular focus on hazardous farm chemicals that are no longer registered for use - particularly persistent organochlorine pesticides such as DDT, dieldrin and chlordane. Collections have been completed in the Northern Territory, but will continue in the States until late in 2002.
The Community-based Rabbit Control Programme is a sub-programme of the Natural Heritage Trust and based on combined input from the National Feral Animal Control Programme and Bushcare of $500,000 each. Funding will be provided to landowners and community groups for projects that promote the recovery of nationally endangered or vulnerable plants and animals or ecological communities by controlling rabbit populations in areas of high conservation significance.
The Diesel and Alternative Fuel Grant Scheme maintains the price relativities between diesel and alternative transport fuels by allowing those on-road transport operators that are eligible for the diesel fuel grant to also be eligible for alternative fuel grants. The maintenance of the price relativities between diesel and alternative fuels encourages wider use of alternative fuels and thus reduces greenhouse gas emissions and improves air quality.
Eligible users of alternative fuels such as CNG, LPG and recycled waste oil, and renewable fuels such as ethanol and canola oil qualify for alternative fuel grants.