Industry News

NSW Minister for Mental Health Kevin Humphries has announced the appointment of John Feneley as the inaugural Commissioner of the NSW Mental Health Commission.

Mr Humphries said the Commissioner will deliver strategic direction for mental health in NSW, ensure services are appropriately designed and targeted, and review, monitor and report to the Government, the Parliament and the public on how the system is working, to ensure we are using funding effectively to deliver real results.

Mr Feneley brings to the position experience within the mental health sector as Deputy President of the Mental Health Review Tribunal and through mental health policy and law reform work as Assistant Director General NSW Attorney Generals Department.

He has also served on the Board of the Schizophrenia Fellowship and government Boards and committees such as the Youth Justice Advisory Committee, the Child Death Review Team and the Legal Profession Admission Board. Mr Feneley is also a former Deputy Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

Chair of the National Mental Health Commission, Professor Allan Fels, welcomed Mr Feneley’s appointment and said he looked forward to working with him to develop a single plan for the future of mental health delivery in NSW that the State and Federal Governments can invest in.

“I expect the work of the NSW Commission will complement and enhance the work of the National Commission, with myself and Mr Feneley working closely together to ensure our efforts to improve mental health outcomes are coordinated,” Mr Fels said.

Mr Feneley has been appointed as Commissioner of the NSW Mental Health Commission for a period of five years and will begin on 1^st August 2012.

The first role of the Commission will be to prepare a draft strategic plan for the mental health system in NSW for the Government’s consideration that will consider how it can better manage the experience of people with mental illness, their families and carers.

Australian researchers will translate their discoveries into commercial products faster thanks to a newly established Queensland Node of the Therapeutic Innovation Australia (TIA).

TIA – Qld Node, a State-based model of the future national TIA entity, is being developed under the auspices of "Therapeutic Innovation Australia (TIA)" – lead agent for the $35 million Translating Health Discovery Project funded under the Government's Super Science Initiative.

The Therapeutic Innovation Australia (TIA) Queensland Node will be funded with $6.9m from the Federal Government and co-investment funding of $2m awarded by the Queensland Government.

The Node will provide a testing model to accelerate the movement of inventions by Australian life sciences researchers from the laboratory, through preclinical trials, clinical development and produce 'reduced risked technologies' that will be highly attractive for investors to commercialize into therapeutic products.

The TIA-Qld Node will initially undertake four 'translational' example projects to deliver tangible commercial returns within 5 years.

Comprised of five of the leading Translational Research Centres based in South East Queensland, members include the Centre for Integrated Preclinical Drug Development; Queensland Clinical Trials and Biostatistics Centre; Centre for Clinical Research and the Diamantina Institute which are based at The University of Queensland's Herston campus and the Griffith Health Institute based at Griffith University’s Gold Coast campus.

Griffith University Vice Chancellor Professor Ian O'Connor (pictured) said some of the hardest work of developing any new medical therapy was moving from the trial stage to the product stage.

"This is often where Australian research is forced to go off-shore," he said. "However, the TIA Qld node provides an important link in keeping the development of therapies in Australia.  With Griffith Health Institute's migraine research now entering phase-three clinical trials, the consortium offers an ideal platform for more personalised diagnostics and more targeted migraine therapies. It will ensure Queenslanders and Australians gain the most immediate treatment benefits."


CEO of Therapeutic Innovation Australia Stewart Hay said the major strategy embodied in this plan involved aggregating and leveraging existing infrastructure across the nation, improving researcher access and addressing gaps in infrastructure rather than establishing a large number of new facilities.


"In Queensland this will allow the expansion of facilities at The University of Queensland and Griffith University and link them in a co-ordinated way," he said. "This is the first time this co-ordinated approach has been implemented in Australia and represents a move to a more systematic approach to therapeutic innovation."


UQ Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry said the node's first focus would be projects that have a high probability of yielding tangible results for human health and the economy within five years.


Professor Terry said the node will initially target:

• a test aimed at protecting unborn babies who are at risk of premature birth
• a migraine prevention product
• 'glucose alarm' software package to help people with conditions including diabetes to control their blood sugar levels
• an imaging technique to aid the development of treatments for bone disorders such as osteoporosis.

The Australian Rivers Institute at Griffith University has been awarded funding from the Queensland Government and Chinese Academy of Sciences for a joint research project into pollution in our waterways.

The $500,000 project will investigate how the regeneration of vegetation along water courses can provide a cost-effective means of reducing sediment and nutrient water pollution often associated with agriculture.

Deputy Director of the Australian Rivers Institute, Professor Jon Olley and Dr Quanfa Zhang accepted the Joint Biotechnology Projects Fund award from the President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor Chunli Bai, and the Queensland Minister for Science, Ros Bates in Brisbane.

Professor Jon Olley said the results of this study will have global implications and further enhance Queensland's reputation as a world leader in agricultural and environmental water management.

"A major challenge for Queensland and China is to continue to meet growing human and agricultural needs for water without degrading rivers, lakes and wetlands and the important goods and services they provide," Professor Olley said.

"It is well known that bank erosion and poor riparian (interface between land and river) conditions are major contributors to poor water quality and ecosystem health in many of Australia's and China's waterways," he said.

"The aim of the project is to develop solutions to improve riparian plant cover with the aim of shading channels, stabilising river banks, slowing down water flows, and trapping sediment and nutrient run-off."

Improving the health of Queensland's waterways will also have economic, environmental and social implications. Primary industries, the energy sector and tourism are all set to benefit and, there is an additional boost for consumers in that improved water quality reduces water treatment costs.

South East Queensland's bulk water provider, Seqwater, which has contributed $50,000 to this project, will be an end-user of the research findings. This will further enhance Seqwater's reputation as an industry leader and model of best-practice for other water utility providers.

Environment Minister Tony Burke has announced funding 66 projects under the  Caring for our Country program.

 “The funding will help volunteers, land managers, environmental groups and Indigenous communities to protect Australia’s native habitats, coastal environments, Ramsar wetlands and our World Heritage Areas,” he said.

Some of the projects include:

• In New South Wales the Great Lakes Council will undertake on-ground works to reduce the impact of pollution flows into a Ramsar listed wetland on the Myall River floodplain and the Hunter-Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority will work with coastal communities to remove harmful marine debris from their local area.
• In Queensland Eco Barge Seas will work to remove marine debris in the Whitsundays and South East Queensland Catchments will help landholders in the Upper Duck and Kerry Creeks area to protect the Gondwana World Heritage Area.
• In South Australia the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resource Management Board will work to restore critical habitat of threatened species in the Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges and the Kangaroo Island Natural Resource Management Board will work to protect 1580 hectares of native vegetation in the Pelican Lagoon Basin from land degradation, introduced weeds and pests.
• In Tasmania the Southern Regional Natural Resource Management Association will work to improve the ecological values of the Apsley Marshes RAMSAR site through weed control, stock access control and the development of a long-term management plan and the Cradle Coast Authority work with land managers and volunteers to manage grasslands in the Surrey Hills area, which provides important habitat for threatened species and endangered ecological communities.
• In Victoria the Glenelg-Hopkins Catchment Management Authority will work with the community to protect the Lower Glenelg and Discovery Bay High Ecological Value Aquatic Ecosystems site by managing weeds and pests including feral pigs and the Merri Creek Management Committee will work with local and Indigenous communities to remove weeds in three remnant vegetation sites along stretches of the Merri Creek north of Melbourne.
• In Western Australia the Central Desert Native Title Services will increase Indigenous participation and integrate Traditional Knowledge to restore pastoral land near Wiluna in the Murchison bioregion and the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation will work to control rabbits and regenerate threatened flora in the Central Wheatbelt.

As part of this year’s Budget the Gillard Government announced it will continue its commitment to Labor's flagship Caring for our Country program for another five years, providing $2.2 billion from 2013-14 to 2017-18.

For a list of funded projects, visit www.nrm.gov.au .

Five hundred of the nation's most skilled students have been recognised for their efforts in vocational education and training in schools.

Acting Minister for School Education, Senator Chris Evans, has announced the recipients of the 2011 Australian Vocational Student Prize and the Prime Minister's Award for Skills Excellence in School.

"The Australian Vocational Student Prize recognises students who have demonstrated exceptional skills and commitment while completing a Vocational Education and Training in Schools program, or an Australian School-based Apprenticeship," Senator Evans said.

"In addition, 20 students who strive to be the best and achieve outstanding results are awarded the Prime Minister's Award for Skills Excellence in School."    

Winners of the Prime Minister's Award for Skills Excellence in School are selected from the top Australian Vocational Student Prize recipients and are awarded in state and territory, industry and Indigenous categories. All 500 winners receive $2000 and a certificate recognising their achievements.

The Australian Vocational Student Prize is the vocational equivalent of the academic Australian Student Prize, another initiative aimed at recognising the achievements of students and their schools.

For the full list of winners and for more information on the Australian Vocational Student Prize and the Prime Minister's Award for Skills Excellence in School visit: www.deewr.gov.au/avsp.

The Minister for Science and Research, Senator Chris Evans, has announced 209 Future Fellowships totalling $151 million.

"This round of fellowships will bring 12 Australian researchers back home to undertake their research in Australia," Senator Evans said.

"It also brings 23 international researchers to our shores to experience the great research opportunities we offer here and to share their knowledge with Australian researchers.

Amongst projects funded by Future Fellowships are:

• Advance the understanding of key mechanisms promoting unstable breathing in sleep and ill health and functioning from disturbed sleep;
• Explore the effects and benefits of the Gold Coast Rapid Transit rail project - the biggest public transport project in Australia;
• Focus on the health and wellbeing of adolescents in the Northern Territory, 40 per cent of whom are Indigenous, to provide an evidence base to inform health policy, identify transformative life skills and the ways to translate these into practice; and
• Investigate how animals are responding to extreme climatic events and understand if their response is fast enough for them to avoid extinction.

The Future Fellowships scheme began in 2009, to increase the opportunities for highly qualified mid-career researchers to work in Australia, rather than overseas.

For more information on the 209 new fellows and their research, visit www.arc.gov.au

Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing Catherine King has invited health professionals working in the organ and tissue sector to apply for international training and development opportunities through the Janette Hall Professional Training and Development Scholarship Program.

Ms King said, “This scholarship program provides a unique opportunity for health professionals to benefit from international training and development in the field of organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

“The training being offered this year will stimulate learning in a wide range of interesting topics, including specific training on the clinical and technical aspects of organ, eye and tissue donation for transplantation.

Three applicants from the current round will be selected to undertake international training in 2012 to enhance their levels of knowledge and expertise in this field. Two scholarships will be offered to successful applicants to attend courses run by Transplant Procurement Management in Spain, and one applicant will be sponsored to attend the 2012 European Organ Donation Congress and associated clinical workshops in Croatia.

The Janette Hall Professional Training and Development Scholarship Program is funded by the Organ and Tissue Authority. The Authority established the Scholarship Program in 2011 in memory of Janette Hall, a South Australian Hospital Senior Nurse who became an organ and tissue donor after she died in December 2010.

Ms King said “Janette’s dedication and support of organ and tissue donation lives on through these scholarships, encouraging other health professionals to further their education and involvement in organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

The inaugural round of the Janette Hall Professional Training and Development Scholarship Program enabled two applicants to attend internationally-recognised best practice training programs on organ and tissue donation in Philadelphia and Barcelona.

The closing date for applications is 17 August 2012.

For more information on how to apply the Application Guidelines, Application Form, and an example Scholarship Agreement are available at the DonateLife website.

The Federal Government will develop a National LGBTI Aged Care Strategy to support the implementation of the $3.7 billion aged care reform package, Living Longer Living Better, that was announced on April 20 this year.

LGBTI stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans/transgender and intersex people.

Minister for Ageing Mark Butler said he had acted on the advice of the Productivity Commission as well as groups like the ACON Health Ltd, the National LGBTI Health Alliance and the GLBTI Retirement Association.

“We are predicting a large increase in the demand for aged care by this group,” Mr Butler said.

“And there is a broad community consensus that it is important to recognise people who are LGBTI in the same way as we recognise the needs of other diverse groups such as people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

“Ultimately it’s about recognising difference and ensuring equality.

“We will work with the National LGBTI Health Alliance to develop a comprehensive strategy to make sure the needs of LGBTI Australians are addressed in the implementation of our $3.7 billion aged care reform package,” Mr Butler said.

Mr Butler said the strategy builds on the support already announced Living Longer Living Better package already provides support for LGBTI Australians.

“In April, I announced $2.5 million to support staff training that is sensitive to the specific needs of these older Australians,” Mr Butler said.

“This funding supports aged care providers to work with their staff to continually improve how they respond to the diverse and complex needs of the older Australians they support.

“The National LGBTI Aged Care Strategy will provide direction for providers and better articulate and coordinate our aims.

Tasmanian women are participating this week in Australian Government consultations in Hobart about issues facing women in the workplace and ways to help more women into work.

The Minister for the Status of Women and Member for Franklin, Julie Collins, said the opinions of Tasmanian women will help shape the Australian Government’s 2012 National Workforce Development Strategy.

“Job creation is a major priority for the Australian Government, particularly in areas of higher unemployment such as Tasmania,” Ms Collins said.

“We need to have a very clear understanding of the barriers different women face in the workplace if we are to genuinely advance the status of women.”

A series of face-to-face consultations is taking place around the country to develop the national strategy.

Senator for Tasmania, Carol Brown, will represent Minister Collins at the Hobart consultations on Friday.

“It is particularly important women in Tasmania have their say on this strategy, which aims to improve women’s workforce participation,” Senator Brown said.

“The nature of the workforce in Tasmania is different in many ways to other areas of Australia and has unique regional characteristics.

“Getting more women into the workforce is central to our economy and to stopping women and their families fall into poverty and social exclusion,” Senator Brown said.

The Australian Government is putting almost $100,000 towards consultation directed specifically at gathering women’s views.

The 2011 National Assessment Program in ICT (NAP – ICT) Literacy Report has been released, providing an overview of how Australian students are performing in the digital age.

NAP – ICT Literacy assessment commenced in 2005 and samples of Year 6 and Year 10 students participate in this assessment. Teachers, schools and governments can now compare the progress of student results from ICT tests which Year 6 and Year 10 students took in 2005, 2008 and 2011.

Students undertaking the NAP - ICT Literacy assessment are tested on their ability to appropriately access, manage, integrate and evaluate information, develop new understandings and communicate with others in order to participate effectively in society.

The Report evaluates the assessment that took place in 649 Australian schools in 2011 and compares samples of how more than 5,700 Year 6 and 5,300 Year 10 students are performing.

Amongst Year 6 students there has been considerable improvement since 2005, with the percentage of Year 6 students attaining the Proficient Standard increased from 49 per cent in 2005 to 62 per cent in 2011.

Among Year 10 students there was no significant improvement with 65 per cent of Year 10 students in 2011 reaching or exceeding the Year 10 Proficient Standard compared to 61 per cent in 2005.

View the full report on the NAP website.

The Federal Minister for Early Childhood and Child Care, Kate Ellis has announced a consultation on childcare and early learning services, focusing on funding for services in urban, regional, remote and Indigenous communities under the Budget Based Funded (BBF) program. 

“This $57 million program supports more than 300 various services around Australia and plays an important role in ensuring families have access to an early childhood service where the market would otherwise fail to provide one,” Ms Ellis said.

“Importantly, the consultation I’ve announced today follows the Government's commitment of $59.4 million to improve the quality of centre-based BBF services, including ongoing funding to raise staff qualifications and support building maintenance.” 

A discussion paper entitled Quality Early Childhood Education and Care for Children in Regional, Remote and Indigenous Communities: A Review of the Budget Based Funding Program will be the focus for the consultation. 

The discussion paper looks at what is working and what can be improved, and the consultation will include meetings for stakeholders and interested parties. 

The discussion paper and factsheets are available at www.deewr.gov.au/bbfreview

Federal funding totalling $5 million has been announced to help 14 local governments take advantage of the National Broadband Network.

The Digital Local Government program is providing funding of up to $375,000 to each local government representing 40 communities among the first to be connected to the NBN.

Councils to receive the funding include Kiama, Moreland, Onkaparinga, ACT Government, Armidale Dumaresq, Blacktown, Circular Head, City of Greater Geraldton,  City of Tea Tree Gully, Coffs Harbour, Dorset, George Town, Glamorgan Spring Bay, Ipswich, Sorrell, Toowoomba and Victoria Park.

The funding will be used to deliver a range of NBN-enabled services, including high-definition videoconferencing to enable greater access to council staff and improved efficiencies in council operations.

A further funding round for the Digital Local Government Program will be announced later this year. For more details on the Digital Local Government program visit www.dbcde.gov.au/digitallocalgov

The Australian Maritime College (AMC) has joined forces with two major interstate maritime training providers to raise the profile of seafarer training and support the Federal Government’s shipping policy reform.

AMC (Tasmania), Challenger Institute of Technology (WA) and Hunter TAFE (NSW) have agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to further strengthen and develop their cooperation in maritime education, training and research.

Representatives from the three institutes met at AMC on Friday 13 July to work through details of the agreement, which will have far-reaching benefits for students, the shipping industry, and the Australian government.

“This meeting has ushered in a new era of cooperation and a national approach to maritime education and training that spans all levels of vocational and higher education qualification and locations across Australia,” AMC Acting Principal, Professor Neil Bose, said.

“The goal now is to meet regularly, implement the actions agreed at this meeting and exchange ideas to promote the best outcomes for maritime students and the industry.”

Key points include:

• A streamlined credit transfer arrangement, allowing students undertaking Australian Maritime Safety Authority accredited courses to move between the three institutes.
• All vocational units completed at any of the institutes will be applied as credit towards bachelor degrees issued by the University of Tasmania.
• Sharing of resources – for example, skilled staff or infrastructure located at one institute may be used across common curriculum or in new ventures.
• Ensuring maritime vocational training and education reaches emerging regional and industry demand.
• Cooperating with the Maritime Workforce Development Forum, established by the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, to address skill areas that are fundamental to building a sustainable domestic maritime industry.

Hunter TAFE Institute Director, Phillip Cox, said: “I am particularly proud of not only the Memorandum, which will generate new synergies between our institutions, but also the drive to promote cooperation and effort required to raise the profile of seafarer training, improve compliance and deliver high-quality educational outcomes for maritime workers and ship owners.”

Challenger Institute of Technology Director of Maritime Training Services, Mark Gooderham, added: “In Western Australia, demand has expanded from seafarer qualifications to supply skills for the booming off-shore oil and gas industry. For all parties, the intention has been to create a much more flexible, responsive

A study by CSIRO has found that the waves in the ocean could supply about 10 per cent of Australia’s electricity by 2050.

Ian Cresswell, Director CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship said understanding the potential of this clean, sustainable energy source was important for CSIRO.

"Assessing the opportunities and challenges from resource to the market is a first for ocean renewable energy in Australia. Given the potential of ocean energy and the fact that it's a very new technology, CSIRO wanted to understand what is the sustainable level at which this resource could be used for energy supply and whether it could be competitive with other energy technologies," Mr Cresswell said.

The report, Ocean renewable energy: 2015-2050 will inform the ocean energy industry, government and investors about the challenges and potential for the technology. Key findings include:

1. Although wave energy could supply about 10 per cent of our energy by 2050, there are many economic, technological, environmental and societal challenges that will determine its place in Australia’s future energy mix.
2. The areas that could benefit from wave energy technology include Perth, the southern coastline and to a lesser extent the east coast of Australia. Tidal technology could supply niche areas such as north east Tasmania and the Kimberley region in Western Australia.
3.  

The study was carried out by the Wealth from Oceans and Energy Transformed Flagships and included an analysis of the resource, cost to market, technologies and future take-up projections by oceanographers, engineers, economists. The study also engaged the ocean energy industry and related sectors.

Download the report from: Ocean renewable energy

The Western Australian Government has taken steps to prevent future coal mining in the Margaret River area by terminating all pending applications for coal exploration activities within a 230-square kilometre zone.

The WA Mines and Petroleum Minister Norman Moore said the decision followed Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) advice which indicated coal mining in the area posed an unacceptable environmental risk.

Based on that advice, the State Government rejected the Vasse Coal proposal last February.

“The Government has now decided that the advice should also be applied to the whole of the coal mineralisation extending through the identified 230-square kilometre zone and applications for coal exploration or mining should not be supported,” Mr Moore said.

“This decision sends a signal to the industry - applications will not be accepted to explore for or mine coal in this area."

Under the Mining Act 1978, the Minister for Mines and Petroleum can terminate or refuse applications if the Minister is satisfied on reasonable grounds that it is in the public interest to do so. This provision will be invoked if explorers are unwilling to withdraw their coal applications.

"I would emphasise that this decision is based on unique and local circumstances existing only in the Capes region. It will provide some future certainty for local residents and landowners without adding unnecessary sovereign risk to the State’s $107billion resources sector,” Mr Moore said.

The Minister said any future applications for exploration or mining activities for commodities other than coal in the Capes region would be reviewed on their own merits and would be subject to the same rigorous assessments before any approval would be considered.

The Victorian Minister for Environment and Climate Change Ryan Smith has appointed six new members to the Western Coast Regional Coastal Board to develop a coastal action plan for the region and provide advice on coastal development and use.

Mr Smith said the Western Coastal Board had an important role in planning and advising on coastal and marine environments extending from Breamlea near Torquay to the South Australian border.

Councillor Jill Parker has been appointed as the new chair of the board. Cr Parker is a councillor with Moyne Shire council, a representative on the National Sea Change Taskforce and chair of the Moyne Shire Conservation and Environment Committee.

New members include Raymond Page, Mark Edmonds, Matthew Gorman, Oliver Moles and Glenn Wallace. They will join Dr John Sherwood and Carole Reid who have been reappointed for another term.

Mr Smith said one of the board's main responsibilities will be to develop an overarching coastal action plan for the region to balance protection and enhancement of the coast with recreation, use and tourism.

"The Western Coastal Board also works closely with the Victorian Coastal Council which guides coastal planning for Victoria's 2,000 kilometres of coastline.

"Cr Parker will join the chairs of Victoria's two other coastal boards – Gippsland Lakes and Coast Regional Coastal Board and Central Coast Regional Coastal Board – as a member of the Victorian Coastal Council, helping to ensure the coast is well managed across the state.

Outgoing members of the Western Coastal Board include acting chairperson Susan Mudford, Alexina Chalmers, Denise Lovett, Andrew Mason, Alain Purnell, Dr Helen Scarborough and John Young; and the outgoing Department of Sustainability and Environment and Parks Victoria representatives, Craig Whiteford and Rodney Newnham.

The NSW government is currently reviewing Native Vegetation regulations and laws introduced  in 2003 and 2005 to end broad scale land clearing in the state.

The review is being conducted by Office of Environment and Heritage in partnership with the Environment Protection Authority, and catchment management authorities, with input from the Department of Primary Industries.

The review is not examining the Native Vegetation Act 2003. Issues raised during the review about the Act will be collated and presented to the government for further consideration.

A draft of the proposed Native Vegetation Regulation, Environmental Outcomes Assessment Methodology and Private Native Forestry Code of Practice have been released for public consultation. Comments can be submitted until midnight Friday 24 August 2012.

A series of forums have been held across the state,  and farmers and environmentalists are divided on the need for reform or the act.

More information is here.

The NSW government has cut 350 jobs from its Office of Environment and Heritage, and will close many programs in national parks, animal management and climate change research.

As a result of the cuts, some national parks will be unattended.

Environment Minister Robyn Parker said the cuts will be achieved by a combination of redundancy and natural attrition, saving $101 million by 2016.

Programs affected by the cuts include kangaroo culling programs, wilderness and wild river assessments, soil and salinity research, climate change and biodiversity programs, energy efficiency programs and greenhouse gas policy development.

'The transport emissions reduction policy and programs including policy work on electric vehicles, national transport sector emissions reduction and heavy vehicle emissions reduction have ceased.

The South Australian Minister for Water and the River Murray Paul Caica has stated that South Australia is still suffering the consequences of decades of upstream over-allocation from the River Murray, exacerbated by the recent severe drought.

Mr Caica was visiting the Walker Flat River Vessel Waste Disposal Station in the Murraylands, which has been closed since December 2009 due to the threat of riverbank collapse, affecting houseboat tourism in the area.

Mr Caica said that while the drought has broken and water has returned

to the system for now, recovery in South Australia will take many years.

“Walker Flat is just one of many areas below Lock 1 in South Australia that has suffered from cracking, slumping and collapse. More than two years after the drought broke we are still dealing with the actions of those upstream,” Mr Caica said.

“South Australia has suffered more than 161 incidents of riverbank collapse between Lock 1 at Blanchetown and Wellington, including the loss of a marina area where soil, trees and vehicles collapsed into the river without warning.

“Levels may be back up but we still have many areas of concern – such as at Caloote, Murray Bridge and Mannum where several holiday homes and houses remain at very high risk of collapse.

“This is a graphic example of why we can not be complacent, why we must not forget the impact of over-allocation of water by upstream states, and why we must fight for more water for the River Murray in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.”

The Queensland Government has announced the release of water from two Gulf of Carpentaria rivers to support irrigated agriculture in north-west Queensland.

Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Andrew Cripps said unallocated water from the Flinders River and Gilbert River catchment areas would enhance the development of sustainable irrigation in the Gulf Water Resource Plan Area, including the Flinders River Agricultural Precinct.

“This decision strikes the right balance between economic development and responsible management of our water resources,” Mr Cripps said.

Mr Cripps said the volumes of water being released met the requirements of the Gulf Water Resource Plan and could support the irrigation of up to 10,000 hectares of land.

“Water licences granted through this process will include conditions to protect existing rights to water and the region’s environmental, cultural, tourism and fisheries values,” he said.

Individual proponents will be able to access no more than 40 per cent of the volume being released from a single catchment, so that multiple users can gain access.

“Irrigated agriculture on the Flinders and the Gilbert has been talked about for a long time but the Newman Government has taken steps to make it a reality.”

The Water Resource (Gulf) Plan 2007 includes 80,000 megalitres of unallocated water held in general reserve in the Flinders River Catchment, and 15,000 megalitres held in general reserve in the Gilbert River Catchment.

Mr Cripps said the department would grant water licences based on certain criteria and would set a reserve price which ensured State-owned natural resource assets such as water were sold to private interests for a fair price.