2017-11-23
The Australian Greens have slammed the New South Wales and Federal Governments and the Murray Darling Basin Authority for turning a blind eye to rampant water theft that has devastated river communities.
“It’s a travesty that greedy corporate irrigators are taking more than they need upstream and leaving downstream communities high and dry, on the watch of the NSW and Federal Governments and the Murray Darling Basin Authority. This is real, it is happening now, and it needs to be seriously addressed,” Greens Murray Darling Basin spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“The Government cannot be trusted to manage this water crisis and cannot be trusted to make changes to the already undermined Murray Darling Basin Plan. This latest scandal comes at a time that while river communities are drying up, the Government is trying to take a further 70GL of water meant for the environment out of the Plan.
“I have written to the Senate crossbench and Labor asking them to support my disallowance of the Government’s regulation to take even more environmental water from the basin in an act of legalised theft.
“River communities are sick of being ripped off, taxpayers are sick of being ripped off, and community leaders continue to call for a judicial enquiry. How many scandals have to come to light before the Prime Minister wakes up and realises there is nowhere to hide any more.
“I commend the brave farmers, community residents and former Murray Darling Basin Authority staff for speaking out on this issue and my heart goes out to the families who have had the health of their children compromised because greedy corporate irrigators are given free rein to take more than their share of water.
“Special treatment for a greedy corporate irrigators must stop if the river and the communities that rely on it are to survive. This river feeds and waters our nation and is in crisis. The Government must clean up its act and restore faith in the Murray Darling Basin Plan before it is too late.”