Plan chocking farmers
SO HERE we are well in to this forced upon farmers Murray Darling Basin Plan and the Murray Darling Basin has been throttled to a mere shadow of its former self by scare tactics and one sided narrow mindedness.
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To think that Dartmouth dam is at 70% capacity along with Hume Dam at 40 per cent and NSW farmers are getting bugger all or no allocation is a blight on this nation.
It is well known that half of all stored water is owned by the Australian government (environmental water) along with private investors.
The rice industry is once again crippled.
So here we have an irrigation system once the pride of our nation and supplying clean safe food to Australians and the world now a mere shadow of its former self to a point where water providers are questioning the viability of keeping it going.
Wake up to yourselves Australians and make damn sure we support irrigated farming, a fair go for our farmers and a triple bottom line approach to modernising the basin.
If you think that sitting down and meeting with the zealots running all this will achieve what you want then I suggest you live in Noddy land.
We all must demand a better go for the horse has very nearly bolted.
Time is of the essence.
Peter Gilmour
Cobram
‘Report confirms progress’
AN INDEPENDENT stocktake report has vindicated the progress of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan implementation.
The release of the Sustainable Diversion Limit (SDL) stocktake showed projects were on track to deliver the environmental outcomes outlined under the Basin Plan.
This independent report shows that over 500 gigalitres less water is needed to meet the environmental targets in the Plan and that states are on track to deliver the required projects.
This will ensure the Basin Plan continues to deliver triple bottom line outcomes.
We are committed to implementing the Basin Plan in full and on time in ways that support and maintain healthy viable communities and the environment.
The report is conservative in its findings and that it is reasonable to get up to 650 gigalitres.
The SDL Mechanism reduces the need for water recovery while still delivering the plan’s important environmental outcomes.
I look forward to continuing to work with the Basin states to progress the projects.
The Coalition has also introduced legislation to Parliament to cap water buybacks to 1500 gigalitres.
We’ve also committed to focus water recovery on infrastructure efficiencies which is why we’re investing $2.5 million a day into irrigated agriculture while returning much needed water to the environment.
The stocktake report provides certainty to all Basin governments and gives them the confidence they need to show bi-partisan support for this legislation.
The full stocktake report is available at http://www.mdba.gov.au/media-pubs/publications/independent-stocktake-of-sdl-adjustment-measures.
Greg Hunt and Bob Baldwin
Federal government
Environment department
Yay or Nay
Yay: To Leeton Shire Council. The gardens in Leeton are always so well presented. They look great. Keep up the good work.
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