Chair of the inaugural Forum and the then Federal Environment Minister, Senator Robert Hill said, "The Lake Eyre Basin Intergovernmental Agreement was a historic achievement - it provides the framework for ensuring the future sustainable management of the major cross-border river systems of the Lake Eyre Basin."

The Forum comprises the Federal Minister for the Environment, the South Australian Minister for Water Resources, and the Queensland Minister for Natural Resources.

The Ministerial Forum will develop appropriate policies and strategies, in consultation with the Basin community, for the sustainable management of the cross border river systems in the Basin.

Senator Hill also recognised the important role played by the members of the Basin community in relation to the Agreement, in particular the work of the Lake Eyre Basin Coordinating Group and the Cooper's Creek and Georgina/Diamantina Catchment Committees.

"The ongoing support and involvement of the Basin community is essential for the successful implementation of the Agreement," he said.

"We need to better understand the ecological implications of management decisions affecting these river systems to ensure we avoid making the mistakes now affecting the Murray-Darling Basin and elsewhere in Australia."

Key outcomes from the Ministerial Forum were:

• establishment of a permanent secretariat to support the Ministerial Forum and its scientific advisory body (to be located with Environment Australia)
• appointment of the Lake Eyre Basin Coordinating Group as the Community Advisory Committee to the Ministerial Forum with an expanded membership to include a local government representative (in the first instance to be from the Western Queensland Local Government Association) and the South Australian Arid Areas Catchment Water Management Board
• a budget of $500 000 per annum for implementation of the Agreement, including an allocation to the Coordinating Group to provide secretariat support to the Community Advisory Committee
• establishment of a Scientific Advisory Panel, with Professor Peter Cullen, Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology as the inaugural chair, to provide the Ministerial Forum with scientific advice on matters under the Agreement
• confirmation of a process and timetable for the development of policies and associated strategies for the management of water and related natural resources (Release of draft policies for public consultation. Seek to develop strategies by November 2001)
• establishment of arrangements for the State of the Rivers Assessment (to be known as the Lake Eyre Basin Rivers Assessment) as required under the Agreement
• agreement on the financial and cost-sharing arrangements for the Ministerial Forum and its associated community and scientific advisory bodies
• agreement to hold the first Lake Eyre Basin Conference in October 2002