THE community-based Speak Up Campaign is alarmed at some of the commentary from a meeting of Murray-Darling Basin Water Ministers on October 12.
While Speak Up said it welcomed comments from NSW Water Minister Kevin Anderson that there would be more flexibility in the plan, we have expressed extreme concern about ministers supporting “strategic purchase” of water.
We have been calling for flexibility for seven years, so hopefully that message is finally getting across.
When the Basin Plan implementation started a decade ago we were promised flexibility and adaptability, but it has been almost non-existent. So we hope there will be a move in that direction.
But it was of extreme concern when we saw a brief mention in the meeting notes about ministers supporting ‘strategic purchase’.
That is political speak for the reintroduction of water buybacks, which we strongly oppose if it means more water being taken out of our communities.
The Southern Basin had been the prime target of water buybacks in the past and has already done more than its share of heavy-lifting to achieve Basin Plan recovery volumes.
If additional water is to be purchased to achieve these politically-based volumes, it must come from other areas. While the Northern Basin is one option, the most sensible would be buybacks in South Australia.
We are already causing too much environmental damage by trying to send water from dams at one end of the system, to lakes and gardens at the other end.
There is no doubt that purchasing more water from upstream of the Barmah Choke would only exacerbate this problem.
While communities welcomed the commentary from water ministers about the need for more certainty around the Basin Plan, governments need to “walk the talk”.
Telling us we need certainty, then raising the possibility of buybacks, is counter-productive. All it does is lead to more stress and concern.
If we are to have certainty, these ministers must carefully consider exactly which environments need water, and where it should be acquired from to achieve their goals.
And if legislative change is needed to provide the flexibility the Basin Plan needs, including allowing new projects that make better use of water, then it’s what the federal government should work towards.
Committing to the additional 450 gigalitres, which in reality is not required to achieve significant environmental benefit, solely because it is part of a political agenda will not give our nation the result it wants for the $13 billion expenditure on the Basin Plan.
Shelley Scoullar
Speak Up
Chair
