30 August
2006 - A new initiative to improve water quality
in Tasmania has been announced today by the Australian
Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Senator
Ian Campbell, and the Tasmanian Minister for Primary
Industries and Water, David Llewellyn.
The Tasmanian River Catchment
Water Quality Monitoring Initiative is part of
the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement and is
scheduled to finish in mid-2008.
“Tasmania’s disease-free status
and reputation for clean air and water is very
important to both the Australian and Tasmanian
governments,” Senator Campbell said.
“This water quality initiative
will help protect this status, and the marketing
advantage it gives Tasmanian agriculture, by identifying
chemical use in Tasmania’s primary production
industries and assess its likelihood to affect
water quality in Tasmania’s river catchments,”
he said.
Mr Llewellyn said the initiative
would lead to a better understanding of the fate
of agricultural and forestry chemicals in the
Tasmanian environment.
“This initiative is a response
to Tasmanian community and industry concerns about
the level of chemical usage and of the impacts
of chemical pollution on industry, human health
and the environment in Tasmania,” Mr Llewellyn
said.
“This knowledge will be used
to identify priorities for ongoing monitoring
programs and to inform decisions about how, when
and where particular chemicals can be used more
safely in Tasmanian conditions,” he said.
The information collected through
the initiative will be used to customise the CSIRO’s
Pesticide Impact Rating Index (PIRI) for Tasmania.
This adaptation of the PIRI software to Tasmanian
conditions will lead to an improved understanding
of water quality management needs in Tasmania.
The Tasmanian Community Forest
Agreement, announced on 13 May 2005, is a joint
commitment of the Australian and Tasmanian Governments
to enhance protection of Tasmania's forest environment
and growth in the Tasmanian forest industry and
forestry jobs. The Governments are committing
over $250 million to revitalise the timber industry
and preserve old-growth forests.
“As part of this Agreement the
Australian Government is providing $1 million
for the Tasmanian River Catchment Water Quality
Initiative, drawing on CSIRO expertise, and delivered
jointly with the Tasmanian Government,” Senator
Campbell said.
Further information on
the Tasmanian River Catchment Water Quality Monitoring
Initiative is available at www.dpiw.tas.gov.au
Information on the Tasmanian Community Forest
Agreement is at www.daff.gov.au/content/output.cfm?ObjectID=498CD7FB-3F4B-491F-86F3B9ACDBF56974
