10 March 2001

On Friday 2 March, Cr Peter Woods OAM, President of the Local Government Association of NSW, and Cr Chris Vardon, President of the Shires Association of NSW, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Minister for Land and Water Conservation, Richard Amery, concerning urban salinity.

The full title of the document is 'Memorandum of Understanding between the Local Government and Shires Associations and Minister for Land and Water Conservation - A partnership in natural resource management concerning the need for a collaborative approach in meeting the challenge of managing urban salinity - March 2001'.

An MOU on urban salinity between the State and Local spheres of Government was identified as an outcome of the State Salinity Summit held in Dubbo in March 2000.

The object of the MOU is to establish a framework of cooperation between State and Local Government, through the Associations, to identify and resolve urban salinity issues, and to promote urban salinity initiatives and networks.

DLWC is in the process of establishing its urban salinity taskforce. Officers of the Associations and DLWC will work together to formulate strategies to ensure that councils are aware of opportunities to utilise the services of DLWC, and learn from the experiences of other councils where urban salinity management is already advanced.

While the MOU does not deal specifically with dryland and riverine salinity, it is a springboard for ensuring that these aspects of salinity are promoted to Local Government and that Local Government is encouraged to be active in all aspects of salinity management.

The MOU and media release issued by LGSA on Friday, 2 March can be viewed on the Associations' web site at www.lgsa.org.au.

The Associations would be pleased to hear from councils concerning their needs and ideas relating to salinity management. Please contact David Hale, Senior Policy Officer Water at the Associations on 9242 4070 in this regard.

For more information contact: