Fed: State and territory leaders set to revolt over guns buyback

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Fed: State and territory leaders set to revolt over guns buyback

CANBERRA, Dec 6 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard today faces a revolt from Labor stateand territory leaders over how to pay for the guns buyback and water rights for the nation'sfarmers.

Mr Howard will use the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting in Canberrato outline Australia's preparedness to counter terrorism and any new measures needed toprotect the country from attack.

Also on the agenda is the federal government's plan to ban more than 250 types of hand guns.

A meeting of state police ministers last month broadly agreed on tighter hand gun laws.

But they failed to agree on which guns would be banned, and who would pay for a guns buyback.

However, the issue of water rights is most likely to dominate the meeting.

The states are fighting about who should pay compensation if farmers are forced togive up water rights in order to help combat salinity.

Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson has twice threatened to withhold up to $1 billionin National Competition Policy payments to the states if they baulk at paying compensation.

Mr Howard said national water rights laws were crucial and he urged state leaders to cooperate.

AAP kjp/las/de

KEYWORD: COAG DAYLEAD