Frequently Asked Questions
Australia's governments and communities working together
2001
PDF file
Q: What’s the problem with Australia’s landscape?
A: Much of Australia's landscape has critical salinity and water quality problems that require urgent action. Large areas and entire ecosystems are threatened.
Experts say that dryland salinity is ruining 2.5 million hectares. That's 5% of our cultivated land. This could expand to an area twice the size of Tasmania in the years ahead.
Australia’s water quality is also deteriorating. About one third of our rivers need help to stay alive. Within 20 years, Adelaide’s drinking water will exceed World Health Organisation salinity standards in two out of every five days.
Q: What is dryland salinity?
A: Rising water tables dissolve natural salts contained in the soil and bring them to the surface. Increasing concentrations of salt damage plants, roads, buildings and other infrastructure. Salt also gets into freshwater rivers and wetlands where it affects plants and makes the water undrinkable for humans and animals. Land use changes such as land clearing, are a primary cause of dryland salinity.
Q: Whose problem is salinity and declining water quality?
A: It is a problem for all Australians. We all have a role in tackling salinity problems.
Land and water salinity costs Australia about $3.5 billion a year through lost productivity and damage to buildings, roads, water pipes and treatment systems. This amount of money could be invested in renewing public infrastructure, creating jobs and improving our lives whether we live in cities or country areas.
Q: Who can solve the problem?
A: Governments and communities need to work together to protect Australia’s unique environment and the future health of our natural resources. All Australians will benefit from environmental, social and economic improvements by collectively tackling salinity and declining water quality.
Q: How can we make progress?
A: Commonwealth, State and Territory governments have adopted a National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality.
The Plan commits $1.4 billion over seven years to support action by communities and land managers in 21 highly affected regions. The Plan builds on existing State and Federal initiatives. It will include practical remedies such as the protection and rehabilitation of waterways, improvements to native vegetation, engineering works, land and water use changes.
Q: How does the Plan differ from other initiatives?
A: The National Action Plan builds on the success of Landcare and the Natural Heritage Trust. It supplements the Murray-Darling Basin Salinity Strategy and other recent Commonwealth, State and Territory initiatives.
The Plan focuses on regional plans, developed by the local community. Governments will invest in regional outcomes rather than fund individual projects.
Q: How can the Plan make a difference?
A: The Plan is designed to improve land and water management in 21 priority regions most affected by salinity or water quality deterioration. Government-community partnerships will be formalised through agreements defining goals for all parties and their contributions. The Plan will fund integrated regional plans within priority regions.
Q: What actions will the regional plans contain?
A: Regional plans will vary from catchment to catchment, but all will include actions to manage regional water quality, salinity and bio-diversity.
Regional plan actions may include:
- protection and rehabilitation of waterways, floodplains, and wetlands
- engineered water quality improvements such as salt interception technologies and removal of some weirs and disused structures
- salinity prevention measures and drainage improvements
- land use change or amalgamation of properties, where current operations are no longer viable.
Q: What information will be needed in the plans?
A: Regional plans may include:
- details of how the plan was developed and the information used for planning
- details of proposed strategies and their implementation
- the standards and targets to be achieved
- consistency with other planning processes and arrangements for review and monitoring.
Before you download
Most publications are downloadable as PDF files. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files.
If you are unable to access a publication, please contact us to organise a suitable alternative format.
Key
Links to another web site
Opens a pop-up window