Northern Australia Land and Water Taskforce
Northern Australia is rich in Indigenous, ecological, community and natural resource assets. It stretches more than 3,000 km from east to west, and includes a large proportion of Australia's pristine rivers and wetlands, rainforests, eucalypt savannas and native grasslands.
Two-thirds of Australia's runoff occurs in the three drainage divisions in northern Australia; the Timor Sea, the Gulf of Carpentaria and the North-East Coast Drainage Divisions.
Compared with southern Australia, northern Australia is relatively undeveloped. We still have the opportunity to ensure that development of land and water resources takes place in a strategic framework that is ecologically, socially and economically sustainable. We can plan for a healthy, resilient and prosperous future by drawing on good science and the knowledge and experience of local communities and stakeholders.
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| The Taskforce will focus on the key surface and groundwater systems and basins within the Timor Sea and Gulf of Carpentaria drainage divisions, and that part of the North East Coast drainage division north of Cairns. |
The Northern Australia Land and Water Taskforce is a high level independent group of Australian experts drawn from broad areas, including indigenous business, science, conservation, agriculture, and the minerals and energy resource industries. The Taskforce will be examining the potential for new development's in northern Australia that rely on significant local or regional water resources and will consult with stakeholders in the north to identify opportunities for further development.