COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Premier Greg Selinger and South Australian Premier Mike Rann announced here today an agreement for renewed co-operation on climate-change adaptation and water-resources management priorities that are important to both Manitoba and South Australia.

"The Province of Manitoba and the State of South Australia have a long-standing, beneficial relationship and this is a further positive step to collaborate as leading sub-national governments on climate change," Selinger said.

"This agreement will build upon an already productive partnership between South Australia and Manitoba.  Given our shared commitment to tackling climate change and addressing issues related to water management, it provides a valuable opportunity to further share our experiences, knowledge and expertise," said Rann. "Collaboration of states and regions across the world is a critical part of the global effort to speed a transition to a low carbon future."

Selinger and Rann are in Copenhagen for the United Nations conference on climate change. Both premiers are actively involved in events such as the Climate Leaders Summit that will promote action by sub-national governments around the world to address climate change.

The memorandum of understanding signed by Manitoba and South Australia provides a general framework to work together and share expertise on:

-  reducing flood hazards,

-  developing strategies to cope with long-term droughts, and

-  community capacity building and ecological goods and services programming to provide resilience to future climate-change challenges.

Manitoba and South Australia share a history of collaboration on economic and social priorities and signed an MOU in 2006 to strengthen their respective biological and life sciences sectors and ensure further collaboration in biotechnology, renewable energy, sustainable development, climate change and Aboriginal economic development.

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