Rain, rain come again- inquiries welcome but they won’t solve the problem

NSW Labor’s focus on the dire water issues in the Menindee Lakes and lower Darling are welcome, but there are issues across the whole Murray Darling Basin that warrant similar investigation.

Chair of the NSW Conservation and Resource Management Committee, Bronwyn Petrie, said that NSW Farmers would work with Labor to ensure that the needs of farmers across the Basin were front and centre of any commission of inquiry conducted by a future Labor government.

“The announcement today by NSW Labor of a six point plan for the Menindee Lakes and lower Darling, in response to the recent death of fish in the Menindee Lakes, is recognition that water remains a critical challenge across this state”, Ms Petrie said.

“The reality is, however, that short of a significant rain event in coming months, there is simply no water available across the northern basin to put into the Darling system and certainly no water to provide irrigators with water for crops.”

“As difficult and tragic as the situation in the far west and Menindee Lakes is, we must also acknowledge the significant issues facing livestock producers and irrigators across New South Wales.  For example, irrigators along the Murray River are presently dealing with minor flooding and a full river while being denied any general security water allocations to keep crops and fodder growing.”

“The Murray River is full to meet the demands of environmental flows and South Australians, while New South Wales farmers are denied water which could otherwise keep crops alive.” 

“Across the entire basin, availability of water is decreasing as the reality of this drought continues to bite.  2018 was the sixth-driest year on record, and the record heat during the first half of January is exacerbating an already dry situation across the state.”

Ms Petrie said NSW Farmers would work with any and all political parties to deliver a solution which appropriately balances the needs of agriculture and the environment across the Murray Darling Basin.

“We must remember that the current Murray Darling Basin Plan was negotiated by a Federal Labor Government, and that since the Plan was signed, there has only been one year of above average rainfall across south-eastern Australia.  The drought is testing the provisions of Murray Darling Basin Plan.  We cannot allow agriculture to be ignored as we look to the future management of the Basin.”

“While there is much to investigate about the Plan and its impact on rural and regional communities across New South Wales we must remember that without rain our dams, rivers and waterways cannot survive.  We need more rain, not necessarily more inquiries, to ensure the health of our waterways and the Murray Darling Basin as a whole”, Ms Petrie said. 
Date: Friday 18 January 2019
Media Contact:  Kathleen Curry | Public Affairs Director | 0429 011 690