South Australia Media Releases
- Big irrigator profits destroying the Murray River - February 01, 2012
- Billboards urge SA politicians to stand up for the Murray - February 01, 2012
- Burke has no choice but to reject plan - January 18, 2012
- South Australia needs political unity - December 01, 2011
- CSIRO advice must be adopted for economic confidence in the MDB - November 28, 2011
- Government Plan fails to end the over-allocation of water to ‘big irrigation’ - November 27, 2011
- Job loss claims from big-irrigation lack credibility - November 17, 2011
- Remarkable conservation achievements recognised - November 04, 2011
- Environment Groups Briefed By MDBA: Reject Hopelessly Flawed Plan For Rivers - October 06, 2011
- Australia's iconic Lake Eyre Wild Rivers to be protected - August 24, 2011
Record profits of over $8 billion announced by “big irrigation” come at a huge cost to the environment and to the people of South Australia, who depend on a healthy Murray River, said the Wilderness Society.
Environment groups today launch a campaign calling on South Australia’s federal MPs to represent the interests of their constituents by speaking up for the health of the Murray.
The Wilderness Society has called on the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) to acknowledge its failure to show a scientific foundation for its draft plan to return only 2750 Gigalitres (GL) of water to the Murray-Darling, as highlighted by the Wentworth Group today.
South Australia's State and Federal politicians must stand united to ensure enough water is returned to the Murray River to open the mouth, flush the salt and pollutants and defend the rights of their constituents, said the South Australian Wilderness Society's Peter Owen.
The Draft Murray Darling Basin Plan will continue to degrade the environment and the economy, according to the CSIRO review of the scientific basis for the report, said Peter Owen, The Wilderness Society's South Australian Campaign Manager.
"The failure to address over-allocation from upstream irrigators will devastate communities, the environment and the economic viability of downstream communities."
Environment groups have called on big-irrigation to drop the rhetoric about job losses given the environmental, social and economic impacts of failing to return enough water to restore the river to health.
Peter Owen, Campaign Manger, has won South Australia’s top 2 Environment Awards. South Australian of the Year for the environment and the Conservation SA Jill Hudson Award for Environmental Protection.
Ten major environment groups from all four Basin States this afternoon emerged from a Murray-Darling Basin Authority briefing and condemned the proposal to return only 2,800GL of water to the environment.
Generations of Australians to come will be able to witness the spectacular event we have just seen – the glorious transformation of the iconic Lake Eyre into a wildlife wonderland – when the Queensland Government finalises the protection of two main rivers systems that feed the lake from the devastating effects of mining and water extraction.
