FOR MEDIA

PRIME MINISTER

SUNDAY, 18 OCTOBER 1981

ELECTORATE TALK

The River Murray is Australia's most important water resource,  and effective and appropriate management is vital to the future  of the Murray. Everyone agrees that the Murray must be  safeguarded against deterioration, but the different concerns of

those people and groups who have an interest in the Murray mean  that a balance must be struck between a variety of considerations.  The Commonwealth Government, together with the state governments  affected, has been determined to achieve harmony and effectiveness

in making arrangements for the management of the Murray, and  the new River Murray Waters Agreement is a significant milestone  in the continuing development and management of the Murray.

The quality of the water in the Murray has become a critical  issue, especially in South Australia, and the difficulty of  x maintaining a high quality has for some years been giving cause  for concern. The Commonwealth has been taking significant

action over recent years in connection with the environment  and the economy of the Murray, especially through its  contributions to the construction of the Dartmouth D a m , which  ,  is now about two-thirds full. The vastly increased fresh  water source which this dam places under the control of the  River Murray Commission will enable the Commission to advance  many important river management objectives, including  significant control of river salinity.

The Commonwealth has also been providing funds over the past  three years for salinity control projects in the Murray Valley,  and some $6 million will be provided this year for this purpose.   The highest priority projects recommended in the most recent  report on the Murray, the Maunsell Report of 1979, are now  well in progress, and the Commonwealth intends to proceed with

additional projects concerned with the other priorities  identified by that Report.

The Commonwealth has also introduced taxation concessions to  encourage the improvement of irrigation practices because poor .   irrigation practices are a major factor in salinity problems. In addition, the Commonwealth is continuing to assist South  Australia improve the quality of the river water supplies for

urban purposes, and by the end of this financial year over  $40 million will have been provided towards a filtration scheme  for Adelaide's water supplies.

______/2

-  2  -

The new River Murray Waters. Agreement pays.particular attention  to water quality in the river, and gives the River Murray  Commission the right to assess the implications for water quality  of new developments, and the right to make representations on  proposals which otherwise might be harmful to water quality,

Former River Murray agreements have worked to the advantage  of all three states for some 60 years, and the revision in the  new Agreement to meet today's requirements is an important  step towards improving water quality in the Murray. ..

A draft of the new Agreement has been before the governments  concerned for a considerable time, and I am delighted that we *  achieved acceptance of the new Agreement at our joint meeting > Ã¢ÂÂ   . Â·   last Friday, and delighted also at the degree of co-operation  which this achievement represents. The Murray River system '

is a mighty resource which belongs neither to any one state nor  to the Commonwealth, and we owe it not only to ourselves but also  to our children to make sure that the Murray system and its  water are maintained at the highest standards.

It is a vital concern for all the people who live along the  Murray and make their livelihood as a result of the resource,   whether they are in New South Wales, Victoria or South Australia.  This is important for many thousands of farms in all three

states but it is also important for people who live in ,

metropolitan areas and in the city of Adelaide. Â· -

v

----0 O 0 ----

