Part 2: Payments for Specific Purposes
Environment
In 2009‑10, the States will receive $479 million from the Commonwealth to support state environment services. This includes a number of payments under the former federal financial arrangements which are now being made as National Partnership payments.
Table 2.101: Payments to support state environmental services
National Partnership payments for the environment
Caring for our Country
Caring for our Country is the Government's natural resource management initiative, and aims to integrate delivery of the Commonwealth's previous natural resource management programs: the Natural Heritage Trust; the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality; the National Landcare Program; the Environmental Stewardship Program; and the Working on Country Indigenous land and environmental program.
Under Caring for our Country, regional bodies will continue to receive guaranteed funding of at least 60 per cent of historical average funding to secure their operations. This funding, $138 million in 2009‑10, will be paid through the States.
Table 2.102: Estimated payments to the States for Caring for our Country(a)
- State allocations are yet to be finalised. These indicative allocations are based on previous distributions of funding among the States.
Red imported fire ant eradication
Commonwealth funding provided $3.3 million in 2008‑09 to assist the Queensland Government to eradicate the red imported fire ant from Queensland. The fire ant, Solenopsis invicta is an insect pest that is considered to be a threat to lifestyle, the environment and the economy. The eradication program commenced in 2002.
Table 2.103: Estimated payments to Queensland for red imported fire ant
eradication
Exotic disease preparedness program
The Commonwealth will provide $400,000 in 2009‑10 to fund the exotic disease preparedness program, which supports investigations into the role of wildlife species in the maintenance and spread of emerging animal diseases and incursion of major exotic diseases of animals.
Table 2.104: Estimated payments to the States for exotic disease
preparedness program
Plant disease and eradication
The Commonwealth will provide no further funding in 2009‑10 to assist the Queensland Government to manage and operate the National Citrus Canker Eradication Program as the disease was declared to have been eradicated from Australia on 23 January 2009.
Citrus canker is a bacterial disease caused by Xanthomonus axonopodis pv. citri and is considered to be a serious threat to Australia's citrus industry.
Table 2.105: Estimated payments to Queensland for plant disease and
eradication
A number of other plant pest and weed eradication programs are subject to national funding agreements outside of formal emergency plant pest response arrangements. These remain unfunded in forward estimates.
Renewable Remote Power Generation
The Commonwealth will provide $40.5 million to the States in 2009‑10 to fund the Renewable Remote Power Generation program which provides financial support to increase the use of renewable generation in remote parts of Australia that presently rely on fossil fuel for electricity supply.
Table 2.106: Estimated payments to the States for renewable remote
power generation
Environmental management of the former Rum Jungle mine site
The Commonwealth will provide $7 million in financial assistance over four years to the Northern Territory to support the on‑going management of the former Rum Jungle mine site.
The measure includes funding to:
- support the environmental management and monitoring of the site; and
- assist with the development of site management and rehabilitation strategies in partnership with the site's traditional owners and industry.
Table 2.107: Estimated payments to the Northern Territory for management
of the former Rum Jungle mine site
Great Artesian Basin sustainability initiative
The Commonwealth will provide $14.9 million in 2009‑10 to continue work on the repair of uncontrolled artesian bores and the replacement of wasteful open‑earthen bore drains with piped water reticulation systems through the Great Artesian Basin sustainability initiative.
The Great Artesian Basin sustainability initiative is being delivered through state agencies and the Commonwealth makes its contributions jointly with other key stakeholders, state governments and pastoral bore owners.
Table 2.108: Estimated payments to the States for the Great Artesian Basin
sustainability initiative
The Living Murray
The Commonwealth will provide $28 million in 2009‑10 to support the Living Murray program, Australia's most significant river restoration program.
The Living Murray program was established in 2002 in response to evidence showing the declining health of the River Murray system, and aims to achieve a healthy working River Murray system for the benefit of all Australians. This includes returning water to the River's environment. It is a partnership of the Australian, New South Wales, Victorian, South Australian and Australian Capital Territory Governments.
Table 2.109: Estimated payments to the States for the Living Murray
Water for the Future
The Commonwealth will provide $240 million in 2009‑10 to the States to support the sustainable rural water use and infrastructure program.
On 3 July 2008 the Commonwealth and State governments finalised the Agreement on Murray‑Darling Basin Reform to secure a sustainable future for the Murray‑Darling Basin.
The Commonwealth has agreed in‑principle to provide about $3.7 billion for significant state‑based water infrastructure and reform projects in South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory, subject to a due diligence assessment of the social, economic, environmental, financial and technical aspects of the projects.
Table 2.110: Estimated payments to the States for Water for the Future
Transfer of Commonwealth land to Victoria — Point Nepean
The Commonwealth will provide $15 million, currently held by the Point Nepean Community Trust, to the Victorian Government as part of the transfer of the ownership of the former Quarantine Station at Point Nepean, Victoria, from the Commonwealth to the Victorian Government
Table 2.111: estimated payments to the States for Transfer of
Commonwealth land to Victoria
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