I UNDERSTAND the political process and the games that politicians play. I also understand how they can be, shall we say “loose with the truth” to suit personal and political agendas.
But surely we must draw a line at deliberately pedalling information that is proven to be inaccurate.
This week, the South Australian Minister for Water Susan Close, ahead of a meeting of state and federal water ministers, stated there is “no evidence of (water) buybacks harming river communities”.
Might I respectfully suggest the minister read some of the social and economic reports that have been prepared on impacts of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, in particular water buybacks, on some of these communities.
Let’s take the community of Wakool, as an example. It has seen closure of businesses and sporting clubs and decline of numerous services throughout Basin Plan implementation.
A once thriving primary school has far fewer students and therefore there are fewer teachers; that’s what happens when population decreases due to government policy.
Or how about the communities of Berrigan and Finley. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s own community profiles showed a workforce decrease of almost 40 per cent from 2011 to 2016.
I presume Ms Close believes it was purely coincidental that this decline was during a major period of water buybacks. If she wants more unequivocal evidence, it’s all in the MDBA’s Southern Basin community profiles, which can be found on its website.
Another independent report covering three local government areas in the NSW Murray along the Murray River and its tributaries estimated the first five years of Basin Plan implementation cost that region nearly $200 million and far more jobs than the plan’s modelling originally projected.
So forgive me, Ms Close, but like many of your SA counterparts, you are not even “close” to the mark when you state there is no evidence that voluntary buybacks hurt our communities.
Sure, we’re determined to overcome the damage they cause and we appreciate the support being received by water ministers in Victoria and NSW who are desperately fighting to stop future buyback devastation.
It would be appreciated if, during debate on this important issue which has such a huge effect on the social and economic fabric of our communities, that within the SA bias there can remain at least a semblance of attention to the facts, as well as an appreciation for the potential ramifications of pedalling false information on our lives and futures. Believe it or not, we are real people too. Australians, even!
Shelley Scoullar
Speak Up Campaign chair
