Government Plan fails to end the over-allocation of water to ‘big irrigation’

Media Release
The Wilderness Society (SA) Inc.
28 November 2011

The Draft Murray-Darling Basin Plan will fail South Australia, according to the fishers, farmers, traditional owners and environmentalists who will gather today at the river's mouth to call for more water to be returned to the system.

Peter Owen, The Wilderness Society's South Australian Campaign Manager, said the Plan’s failure to address the over-allocation of upstream irrigators, means there is virtually no chance of restoring Australia’s food bowl to health.

"The failure to address over-allocation from upstream irrigators will devastate communities, the environment and the economic viability of downstream communities.

"The failure to end the over-allocation by big irrigation means the mouth of the Murray will continue to close, it won't remove the two million tonnes of salt that gets deposited every year, and it will destroy internationally recognised RAMSAR wetlands.

“The stakes could not be higher, this is not a game for a political ‘fix’.

"Beyond the severe environmental impacts, this Plan is a slap in the face to South Australians, who deserve the same access to water and a healthy river as everyone else in the Basin.

"There are wine makers, fishers, farmers and local people who will be devastated by today's announcement.

"We need a Basin Plan that restores between 4,000GL and 7,600GL to the environment to ensure the health of Australia’s food bowl and South Australian basin communities. This is the scientific advice.

"To achieve this, we need the Federal Government to stand up to the big irrigators who have been taking too much for too long.

"For too long, South Australia has been the nation’s salt dump. We've had our natural systems destroyed by people taking too much upstream, which is entirely outside our control.

"You can't just write off communities and the environment on the basis of greed.

"During the last drought, communities were pushed to the edge, attracting massive debts from attempting to survive. We foresee this Plan being the final straw, the element that will push them over the edge," said Mr Owen.

For more information, please contact:
Peter Owen: 0423 550 018