29 August
2006 - A project designed to strengthen land use
planning ties between Western Australia’s local
governments and regional communities was today
announced by the Australian and Western Australian
Governments.
The three-year, $1.1 million
initiative is being funded through the Australian
Government’s $3 billion Natural Heritage Trust
and will be complemented by cash and in-kind contributions
from the State and local governments.
The project will be coordinated
by the Western Australian Local Government Association
(WALGA) in partnership with the Western Australian
Planning Commission, Department for Planning and
Infrastructure and regional groups.
It will help improve the process
for the consideration of natural resource management
(NRM) values within strategic and statutory land
use planning across the State.
Australian Ministers for the
Environment and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell,
and Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Peter
McGauran, said the project will help people share
information to achieve long-term results for environmental
work.
“Local governments play a vital role in managing
our natural assets, and they need the best available
scientific data to make decisions about the way
they use the land in their area,” Senator Campbell
said.
“In its first year, the project
will look at the existing tools that provide for
the integration of NRM considerations into the
land use planning system. The next phase will
be a grants scheme to support activities that
protect areas of significant environmental value.”
Western Australian Agriculture
Minister Kim Chance said the work would offer
access to planning expertise and advice.
“Councils and regional bodies
will be able to work closely together to tackle
issues like salinity, declining water quality
and sustainable land use,” he said.
“This is also going to provide
better guidance for us on future funding for activities
that cross local government as well as regional
boundaries.
Western Australian Environment
Minister, Mr Mark McGowan, said the initiative
would provide consistency and guidance on systems
such as conservation zoning.
“This will give local governments
and regional groups support to use the most practical
ways to protect the environment. Getting a consistent
understanding is a great start,” he said.
“The project will bolster integrated
activities like the Perth and South West Biodiversity
Projects, which combine resource assessment, planning
and education with on-ground conservation work.”
Western Australian Planning
Minister Alannah MacTiernan said metropolitan
and rural areas would benefit from the review
of land use planning tools.
“Land use planning can play
a vital role in managing our natural assets, so
it’s important for local governments and regional
groups to understand how planning can help them
achieve their goals,” she said.
“This project will lead to more
informed decisions on how to best care for our
land and water, ultimately giving communities
more ownership of sustainable, long-term natural
resource management solutions.”
For more information about natural resource management
visit www.nrm.gov.au
