2017-03-02
The Murray Darling Basin Plan has been fundamentally flawed from the beginning and needs to be fixed, the Australian Greens have said in response to the ANU’s Water Reform and Planning in the Murray-Darling Basin report.
“It’s time to repair the Murray Darling Basin Plan and get it right once and for all,” Greens Water spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“The science clearly showed that an additional 4000GL of water minimum was needed to be recovered by the Murray Darling Basin Plan to keep the River Murray flowing and South Australian communities thriving, but we only ended up with 2750GL.
In 2012, The Greens attempted to move a disallowance to the plan at the time, to send it back to the Minister to get it right. This didn’t happen, so it comes as no surprise that five years down the track, we’re left with a weaker river system yet lush green irrigation fields in the eastern states.
“This plan has always been about lining the pockets of big irrigators. It’s been haemorrhaging money while sustainability has fallen by the wayside.
“The last thing we should be doing at this delicate stage in South Australia’s recovery is scrapping the Murray Darling Basin Plan completely, however, there are serious flaws to the plan that become clearer as time goes by and the effects of climate change become harsher on our natural environment. South Australians know just how devastating the impact of the next serious drought will be and I will fight to protect my state from suffering that disastrous fate.
“A significant flaw of the Plan is the fact that it does not take the increasing effects of dangerous global warming into account. The Plan needs to factor that impact in and, with adequate water flows, be allowed to support South Australian irrigators while bringing our state’s environment and the Murray Darling system back to full health.”
Media contact: Amy Moran 0427 604 760