Qld: Beattie calls for meeting on water with PM

AAP General News (Australia)
02-02-2007
Qld: Beattie calls for meeting on water with PM

BRISBANE, Feb 2 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard should urgently convene a meeting
with the states to spell out his $10 billion federal water plan, says Queensland Premier
Peter Beattie.

The prime minister yesterday made a fresh appeal to state premiers to support his 10-year
plan to fix the Murray-Darling basin, saying it was the only salvation for the ailing
waterways.

He has asked the four states which share the rivers to hand control of the basin to
the commonwealth in exchange for a federally funded upgrade of irrigation infrastructure
and measures to address the over-allocation of water.

The states are Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and NSW.

Mr Beattie today said he was prepared to cooperate, but needed more detail and an urgent
meeting with the prime minister and other affected states to discuss the ramifications
of his proposals.

"When John Howard publicly announced his plan for management of water within the Murray-Darling
system last week he promised he would provide more detail," Mr Beattie said.

"We are still waiting.

"We have received an overview letter from the prime minister but that still doesn't
tell us what we really need to know."

Mr Beattie said he wanted to know how the federal government would manage the resource,
its costs, the timeframe of the plan and if it intended to use compulsory acquisition
powers on farmers.

"All of the affected states have indicated a willingness to work together on the vital
issue of water, but we need to know that Mr Howard and his colleagues in Canberra are
serious and have thought this through," Mr Beattie said.

"For example, it would be a backward step for our rural economy and the environment,
if decision-making on water was to occur in isolation from all other resources in the
catchment and reliant on decision makers in Canberra."

Mr Beattie said he also wanted to discuss issues such as ensuring Queensland farmers
were protected and "unlocking" money promised by the federal government two years ago
for major water infrastructure.

AAP rm/pjo/cjh/bwl

KEYWORD: WATER BEATTIE

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