The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) to the Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Forum has been reformed. The CAC was initially formed after the signing of the Lake Eyre Basin Intergovernmental Agreement in October 2000 and had as its core, the Lake Eyre Basin Coordinating Group. Towards the end of 2002 the LEBCG downsized because of funding constraints; it then no longer had the broad representation to fulfil the role so the CAC was dissolved.

Nominations for the new CAC were taken from a range of organisations and broad interest groups across the Agreement area which covers the South Australian and Queensland portions of the Georgina Diamantina and Cooper catchments. The 13 Ministerially appointed representatives came together in Longreach on Friday 21st November for their first meeting. These members, where they’re from, the interest groups they represent, and their phone numbers are shown in the accompanying table.

The purpose of the CAC is to provide, direct to the Ministers of the Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Forum, broad-based community advice in relation to water and related natural resource issues in the Lake Eyre Basin, with particular regard to potential impacts that extend across state borders. The brief of the CAC is very much to maintain a whole-of-basin perspective on water and related natural resource issues. The CAC is also responsible for articulating Ministerial strategies and policies that deal with these issues, back to the community.

To assist the CAC in its role, the Commonwealth has appointed a Facilitator, Mr Vol Norris. From his base in Longreach he will support and work closely with the CAC to help it achieve its purpose effectively. This will include arranging and preparing for CAC meetings, compiling material to be communicated from the CAC to both the Ministerial Forum and the various stakeholders in the community, and passing on information and material to the CAC from Ministers and community stakeholders. Central to this will be developing and maintaining close links with the wide variety of groups, including catchment groups, regional NRM planning groups and others, from throughout the Basin.

How it all fits Together

The Lake Eyre Basin Intergovernmental Agreement is a Ministerial level agreement between the Commonwealth, South Australia and Queensland to work cooperatively on water and related cross-border natural resource management issues in the Queensland and South Australian portions of the Cooper Creek and Georgina Diamantina catchments. Both New South Wales and the Northern Territory have been invited to join the Agreement; this would make it a whole-of-basin process. Two key components of the Agreement were the formation of the Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Forum (Federal Environment Minister and his South Australian and Queensland counterparts) (LEBMF) and its Community Advisory Committee (CAC).