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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 3 Hansard (25 March) . . Page.. 907 ..


Australian Alps National Parks

(Question No. 101)

Mr Hargreaves

asked the Minister for Urban Services, upon notice:

In the Ministerial Travel Report, tabled in the Assembly on 17 February 1999, it was reported that Mr Smyth travelled to the Mount Buffalo National Park to sign an MOU;

1 ) What was the MOU

2) With Whom was it signed

3) Is there a financial implication for the ACT

Mr Smyth

: The answer to the member's question is as follows:

(1)

The Australian Alps national parks Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) fosters a cooperative management program between the Commonwealth, New South Wales, ACT and Victorian Governments.

The basis for the Australian Alps cooperative program is one of participating park management Agencies working in partnership to achieve excellence in conservation management and sustainable use through a strong program of cross-border cooperation. The park management agencies involved in the program include Environment Australia(C/wealth), NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service, Parks Victoria and the ACT Parks and Conservation Service (Environment ACT).

A further objective of the agreement is to pursue the growth and enhancement of inter-governmental cooperative management to protect the nationally important values of the Australian Alps national parks. The Alps are a unique part of Australia, a mountainous biogeographical region in a predominantly dry and flat continent.

All parties originally signed a Memorandum of Understanding initiating the cooperative management program in 1986.

(2)

The following parties signed the MOU;

Senator Robert Hill, Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Environment Australia; Minister Pam Allen Minister for Environment NSW, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service;

Minister Marie Tehan, Minister for Conservation and Land Management, Parks Victoria; and Minister Brendan Smyth, Minister for Urban Services, ACT.

(3)

To assist in the achievement of the objectives under the MOU, the Australian Alps Liaison Committee (ALEC), comprising of Senior Managers from each of the participating Agencies administers an annual operational budget of four-hundred thousand dollars ($400,000).


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