The South Australian Murray-Darling Basin (SA MDB) Investment Strategies are developed to supplement the NRM Plan for the SA MDB and to provide strategic direction by defining programs, actions, outputs and the investment required to implement these programs. The Investment Strategy is reviewed annually through the process of consultation with Key Stakeholders and Reference Groups.
What does the Investment Strategy look like?
The Investment Strategy is essentially a business plan for attracting funding into the region to carry out the implementation of the NRM Plan. That investment must be targeted to the key natural resource assets, and the greatest threats to those assets to ensure maximum benefit for a given investment.
The Investment Strategy is broken down into 11 targeted programs and 4 enabling programs. Each program is then broken down into a series of activities or actions.
The 4 enabling programs are considered as "building blocks" underpinning the other programs and are critical in ensuring the successful implementation of the targeted programs.
Development of Investment Strategies
The Investment Strategies are developed by the Board in consultation with Key Stakeholders. The Board has a specific Sub-Committee (Investment & Program Committee (IPC)) that oversees the development of the Investment Strategy and then a series of Reference Groups which feed into the Sub-Committee and then the Board.
The role of the Reference Groups during the development of an Investment Strategy is to review current programs, identify gaps and linkages in the program activities and outputs, and determine investment priorities. This is achieved though a series of meetings in which the outcomes and recommendations are fed through to the Investment & Program Committee.
The Investment Strategy process also has regular Communiqués, stakeholder update sessions and targeted engagement for Local Government and the Indigenous community.
The Board has developed five Investment Strategies: one for 6 months - 1st January 2004 to 30th June 2004, July 2004 to June 2005, July 2005 to June 2006, July 2006 to June 2007, and July 2007 to June 2008 (currently in the approval phase).
Prioritisation Process
Through the development of the Investment Strategies it is important to have a method of prioritising both programs and the actions or activities within these programs.
Why?
Principally because the funds available to undertake the necessary activities are generally substantially less than the funds required.
So, what do we do?
We need to target the investment to achieve the greatest return. Return is principally considered in environmental terms but recognizes and considers both social and economic trade-offs.
Is this all sounding too hard?
Well, the determination of priorities is a complicated process but worth doing properly to ensure the greatest net benefit to the highest value natural resource management assets under the greatest threat (within existing constraints).
South Australian Joint Steering Committee (JSC)
A joint Australian and South Australian Government Steering Committee (JSC) has been established to oversee the development and implementation of the NAP and the NHT funding in South Australia.
Once the Investment Strategy for the region has been developed, it then goes to the JSC and to the relevant Ministers for accreditation.
Following this accreditation, a launch of the Investment Strategy and an announcement of funding for the region are made.
What happens once funding is received?
There are a large number of programs operating in the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin region. Once funding for these programs has been received through the Investment Strategy Process, the Board engages Activity Providers (contractors) to deliver Activities of the Investment Strategy. On occasions the Board may undergo an open tender process to find suitable contractors.
An 'Activity Provider' is responsible for the management of a number of actions or activities under that program and reports on the achievement of outcomes for that program directly to the Board. The Board then collates this information and provides a regional report to the Australian and State Governments. An ‘Activity Provider' has the ability to choose how they will deliver the program. This could be through a devolved grant process, or actions may be sub contracted to another group or implemented by themselves, however the 'Activity Providers' are responsible for the delivery of the program as a whole and need to report back to the Board.
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