2018-02-08
Today’s revelations that South Australia has been sold down the river about how much water it would lose if the Government’s change to the Murray Darling Basin Plan are further proof why the Plan should not be scaled back, The Australian Greens say.
“Big irrigators and upstream states are always claiming that South Australia is too far downstream for anything to matter – that’s just not true,” Greens Murray Darling Basin spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“To say that South Australia would lose only 4 billion litres of water if the changes to the Murray Darling Basin Plan goes ahead when it is actually more like 20 billion litres, is a disgrace and discredits the Murray Darling Basin Authority’s recommendations.
“South Australia shouldn’t be consigned to a death by a thousand cuts. The water that was promised for the river, the river should get – no excuses.
“While New South Wales threatens to walk away from the Plan, more scandals of their Government’s dodgy dealings with favouring greedy corporate irrigators have come to light. Secretly changing the rules to give more water to irrigators is disgraceful behaviour from a state has clearly written the book on ripping off our nation’s biggest river system.
“The Plan is not being adhered to and the river is dying. This has dire consequences for South Australia and I will not stand by and let it happen. Corruption and water theft are rife and communities in the Basin are being screwed over. South Australia doesn’t deserve to be left high and dry by a Federal Government complicit in peddling lies.
“I urge my Senate colleagues to support The Greens disallowance and stand up for a healthy river system.”