EMBARGO: 5:00 ÃÂÃÂÃÂ±

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PRIME MINISTER

FOR MEDIA SUNDAY, 1 NOVEMBER, 1981

ELECTORATE TALK

During the World Heritage Committee Meeting at the Sydney  Opera House last week, the Great Barrier Reef, the Kakadu National  Park in Arnhem Land, and the Willandra Lakes region in western  N.S.W. were inscribed on the World Heritage List. This list  Ã¢ÂÂ is made up of natural sites and man-made properties which are

judged by the Committee, using the highest standards, to be of  outstanding universal value to the whole of mankind. The sites .   and properties previously on the list range from the pyramids  in Egypt to the Grand Canyon in the United States, from the  Palace of Versailles to the Katmandu Valley, and from the

ancient city of Damascus to the Galapagos Islands in Equador.

The Barrier Reef, the Kakadu Park and the Willandra Lakes Region  are worthy additions to a list which now numbers 111 sites and  properties right around the world, and two other particularly  important additions to the list at the Sydney Meeting were the

famous Serengeti Game Park in Tanzania, and the Glaciers National  Park, a vast alpine area and glacier in Argentina. .

The World Heritage Committee itself is made up of 21 of the 61  countries which are signatories to the U.N. World Heritage  Convention. The World Heritage Committee first met in Paris  in 1977 and the fact that the 1981 meeting was held in this country

is a tribute to Australia's concern for conservation and for  the environment.

The official UNESCO representative at the meeting spoke in glowing  terms of how much Australia is doing to preserve the natural and  cultural heritage and of the constant desire of Australia to  promote international co-operation in this field. The interest  of Australians in conservation and heritage issues is long-standing

and it is broadly-based.  Some field naturalist clubs date back  to the early part of this century.  The National Trust movement  has a membership of about 80,000, and the total membership of  nature conservation bodies runs to a quarter of a million.  The .   Commonwealth Government has put its weight behind many major  conservation and heritage initiatives. And our children will

inherit a better Australia,  and to an extent a better world, as  a result of what the Government has achieved.

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We prohibited sand mining on Fraser Island. We have banned  whaling in Australian waters and have supported banning whaling,  completely. We have substantially increased grants and research  in marine science. We have acted upon the report of the Fox Inquiry

into uranium. We have worked towards the preservation of  Antarctica and the preservation of Antarctic seals.  We have worked  to protect migratory birds and endangered species and for nature  conservation in the South Pacific. We were the first party to

the Convention on Wetlands of international importance. We have  established the Australiana Fund. We have assisted in the  establishment of the World Wildlife Fund in Australia.

Australia's conservation strategy, which is concerned with the  balance between development and conservation,  is expected to be  finalised by the end of 1982.

I would add that in the five years to June the area of national  ? parkland has more than doubled,  with new parks in every State  'and Territory of Australia, and the total area of 31 million  hectares is almost half as big again as the entire area of Victoria.

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Events such as the Sydney meeting of the World Heritage Committee  not only put a world spotlight on Australia, they also highlight .   the pride we can take in our great country, and our responsibility  to make sure that we pass on to our children a heritage and  -  environment that is just as healthy, beautiful and enriching as

we enjoy Ourselves.

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