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<td align="center"><a href="http://www.weeds.org.au/"><img src="http://www.weeds.org.au/images/awclogo-16.gif" border="0" alt="Weeds Australia"></a><br>
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<td><font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size=1>Newsletter No. 6</td>
<td align=right><font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size=1>December 13, 2006</td>
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<a href="#1"><b>Australian Weeds Strategy</b></a><br><br>
<a href="#2"><b>Two new Biological Control Targets Approved</b></a><br><br>
<a href="#3"><b>Review of National Weed Risk Assessment System Completed</b></a><br><br>
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<p align="justify"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=3 color=#087300><a name="1"><b>Australian Weeds Strategy</b></a></font><br>
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2>The Australian Weeds Strategy was endorsed by Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council and is available on our website below.<p align="justify">It will be published in hard copy as a summary document and full text versions in the new year, and should be associated with some form of national launch. Hard copy can be ordered at the link below.<p align="justify">The Chairman and Committee wishes to thank all those who have contributed via workshops, survey, public consultation phase or other activity in helping develop this document. Numerous comments were received and wherever possible have been incorporated into the Strategy. The comments have been retained by the Committee and will be further considered when implementing the Strategy.<br>
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<td valign="top"><br><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 color=#087300>Contact: <a href="mailto:kdwyer@jta.com.au">AWC Secretariat</a></font>
<br><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 color=#087300>Reference Web Site: <a href="http://www.weeds.org.au/aws/">http://www.weeds.org.au/aws/</a></font>
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<td valign="top" align="right"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="1" color="#087300"><a href="#contents">Contents</a></td>
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<p align="justify"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=3 color=#087300><a name="2"><b>Two new Biological Control Targets Approved</b></a></font><br>
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2>The Natural Resource Management Standing Committee approved Lippia and Cabomba as Targets for Biological Control at their meeting in Canberra on 2nd November, 2006. They have been included in the Weeds Australia website and this makes the species eligible for funding and increases the likelihood that suitable agents may be approved in the future.
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<td valign="top"><br><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 color=#087300>Contact: <a href="mailto:kdwyer@jta.com.au">AWC Secretariat</a></font>
<br><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 color=#087300>Reference Web Site: <a href="http://www.weeds.org.au/management.htm">http://www.weeds.org.au/management.htm</a></font>
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<p align="justify"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=3 color=#087300><a name="3"><b>Review of National Weed Risk Assessment System Completed</b></a></font><br>
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2>Following seven years experience with the National Weed Risk Assessment system, the Primary Industries and Natural Resource Standing Committees agreed to a review of the system, following concerns raised by stakeholders regarding its practical operation.<p align="justify">The system was introduced by the Australian Government in 1997, following the NAIRN review and is a system for pre screening material according to its weediness prior to its importation into Australia. <p align="justify">The review examines the current system and its operation, and finds that there is no serious suggestion that the system should be abandoned or replaced. Rather the system and its implementation should be refined in a way that retains its ability to detect and reject true weeds, while increasing its capability to accept non weeds. <p align="justify">The review examines the three stages of the Weed Risk Assessment process, and makes recommendations to improve each stage. The review can be downloaded from the website below.<br>
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<td valign="top"><br><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 color=#087300>Contact: <a href="mailto:kdwyer@jta.com.au">AWC Secretariat</a></font>
<br><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 color=#087300>Reference Web Site: <a href="http://www.weeds.org.au/wrareview">http://www.weeds.org.au/wrareview</a></font>
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<td valign="top" align="right"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="1" color="#087300"><a href="#contents">Contents</a></td>
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<font face="arial,helvetica" size="1"><b>Australian Weeds Committee</b><br><br>
<b>Telephone:</b> 03 6344 9657<br>
<b>Email:</b> <a href="mailto:jthorp@weeds.org.au">jthorp@weeds.org.au</a><br>
<b>Web:</b> <a href="http://www.weeds.org.au/">http://www.weeds.org.au/</a>
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<font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="1">To subscribe to this newsletter or remove an existing subscription,<br>please visit our <a href="http://www.jta.com.au/mailman/listinfo/awcnewsletter/" target="_blank">subscription management facility</a>.<br><br>
<a href="http://www.weeds.org.au/disclaimer.htm">Legal Notice</a></td>
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