Murray Darling River

While the majority of urban Australians get back to work after a rejuvenating holiday, Queenslanders begin the new decade trying to escape the rising floodwaters. The social and economic impacts from the floods are likely to be felt for some time. 

The floods in the Murray-Darling Basin have affected lives and livelihoods, crops have been damaged, though for many it has also brought much needed water and rejuvenated pastures.

All of this water may lead many people to assume that the environmental problems in the Murray-Darling Basin have been solved, but this is far from the truth.

Continue reading "Dams won’t solve the problems of flooding" »

The release of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s guide to the Basin Plan has ignited discussion about how we manage this critical system for the long term. It has been disappointing to see over recent weeks the Coalition now walking away from reform in the basin, reform that even the previous Howard Government saw as necessary.

Coalition members are now arguing that taking action in the basin will be tantamount to choosing the environment over rural communities. This argument is based on a false dichotomy. Reforming the Murray Darling system is not a choice between the interests of producers and the environment- reform is in the interest of all those who rely on this vital river system, to secure its long-term health and viability. Indeed the aim of the Water Act is to manage our water resources in such a way as to optimise environmental, economic and social outcomes.

The worst thing that could happen for everyone in the Basin, whether it’s someone who cares about the environmental assets of the river system or a farmer wanting to continue to make a sustainable living, is for the Government to do nothing. An unmanaged and unhealthy water supply is no use to anyone.

Continue reading "Opposing river reform puts us on a slow boat to nowhere" »