AGY-5303 | Lachlan Catchment Management Authority

Full description

Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) were established across the state in January 2004 under the Catchment Management Authorities Act 2003 as part of broad Natural Resources Management reforms. (1)

Each Catchment Management Authority board consisted of a chairperson and up to six board members, who together provide a range of experience, skills and knowledge in areas such as primary production, cultural heritage, biodiversity conservation, business administration and governance. Each Catchment Management Authority also had a general manager and a small team of professional staff. (2)

The functions of each Catchment Management Authority were:

to develop catchment action plans and to give effect to any such approved plans through annual implementation programs
to provide loans, grants, subsidies or other financial assistance for the purposes of the catchment activities it is authortised to fund
to enter contracts or do any work for the purposes of the catchment activities it is authorised to carry out
to assist landholders to further the objectives of its catchment action plan (including providing information about native vegetation)
to provide educational and training courses and materials in connection with Natural Resource Management, and
to exercise any other function relating to Natural Resource Management as it is prescribed by the regulations. (2)

Lachlan Catchment Management Authority
The Lachlan catchment covered an area of approximately 84,700 square kilometres and had a population greater than 100,000 people producing 14% of NSW agricultural production. The catchment encompassed 24 local government areas. The Lachlan Catchment was located in central western New South Wales, flanked by the Macquarie and Bogan catchments to the north and Darling to the west, Murrumbidgee to the south and the Sydney / Shoalhaven Basin to the east. The Lachlan River rises near gunning and terminates in the great Cumbung Swamp near Oxley, 1450 river kilometres to the west. Major tributaries of the Lachlan include the Abercrombie, Boorowa, Belubula and Crookwell Rivers. (4)

In 2007 the Head Office of the Lachlan CMA was located at Forbes. It also had offices at Boorowa, Condoblin, Cowra, Grenfell, Hillston, Parkes, Temora, West Wyalong and Young. (5)

The Lachlan Catchment Management Authority was abolished on 1 January 2014 by the Local Land Services Act 2013 which replaced it with Central Tablelands Local Land Services, Central West Local Land Services and Riverina Local Land Services. (6)

Endnotes
1. Combined Catchment Management Authorities Annual Report, 2003-2004, p.1; Catchment Management Authorities Act 2003 (Act No.104, 2003), s.6.
2. Catchment Management Authorites website http://www.cma.nsw.gov.au/index.html (cited 25 May 2007).
3. Ibid., p.3; Catchment Management Authorities Act 2003, s.15.
4. Lachlan Catchment Management Authority website http://www.lachlan.cma.nsw.gov.au/catchment.html (cited 25 May 2007).
5. Catchment Management Authorities website http://www.cma.nsw.gov.au/contact_cma.html (cited 25 May 2007).
6. Local Land Services Act 2013 (Act No.51, 2013) Schedule 6, cl.4 (1) (a).