2018-08-30
The Greens are calling on the National Party to lose the Water Ministry following the release of the Productivity Commission’s damning draft report into the failed management and implementation of the Murray Darling Basin Plan.
“The Productivity Commission has belled the cat on the lack of faith the community has in the Government’s commitment to save the river,” Greens Murray Darling Basin spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“The Nationals must be stripped of the water portfolio to get the river’s management back on track.
“The Productivity Commission has blown the lid on the state of the Murray Darling Basin and the Government’s mismanagement of the Plan.
“Evidence to the South Australian Royal Commission has shown the Plan was never based on science. Together with the Productivity Commission’s damning assessment, it is clear the Plan is not worth the paper it is printed on.
“It exposes the Government’s claims they are committed to delivering the Plan ‘in full and on time’ as a lie. There is no way the Plan can meet its objectives.
“The Plan has been corrupted by vested interests and incompetence and the river is dying. Giving the National Party the water portfolio was a fatal mistake and the Productivity Commission’s report shows that.”