Thank you for your email regarding engineering works and the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
The Murray-Darling Basin is one of Australia’s most vital economic and environmental resources.
It is therefore absolutely essential that we manage the Murray-Darling Basin in a responsible way to ensure that it stays healthy and continues to remain Australia’s primary foodbowl.
That is why t
he Coalition put in place a $10 billion, 10-point program to provide national leadership on the Murray-Darling in 2007. There was a clear need for more water to secure environmental sustainability and for the Commonwealth Government to play the lead role in achieving that in the most economically and socially sensitive way possible.
The Gillard Government, however, has mismanaged this important reform. The resulting chaos meant more delays in returning water to the environment and more uncertainty for the 2.1 million Australians who live in the Basin, especially our primary producers.
The Gillard Government has failed to upgrade irrigation infrastructure which could provide more water for the environment without it being at the expense of productive activities. For a government that seems profligate in all other areas, they have been frugal in this one, spending a pittance of the $6 billion that the previous Howard Government left for this purpose.
Much of the required water savings can and will be achieved through improvements to system efficiency, to farm efficiency and through infrastructure works. While these measures have lagged under Labor, under the Coalition they will be the priority. This approach will ensure that we will minimise the volume of water taken out of productive use.
In relation to the specific works you have mentioned, I can assure you that the Coalition does support the dredging of the Narrung Narrows between Lake Albert and Lake Alexandrina and we have been critical of the South Australian Labor Government’s failure to properly remove the temporary bund (weir) built here during the drought, which has resulted in decreased connectivity between the Lakes.
I can also inform you that we support the undertaking of an Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed connector between Lake Albert and the Coorong and have lobbied both the South Australian State and Federal Labor Governments repeatedly on this matter.
Works are nearing completion on the ‘Reflows’ project which will return water from South-East SA into the Coorong. I expect that this will have positive impacts for the Lower Coorong and will monitor those outcomes closely.
I am concerned that the Barrages are aging and are in need of replacement. I expect any replacement would include automation, however, management of the Barrages is a matter for the South Australian Government in conjunction with the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.
Much scientific argument presently surrounds the issue of building a weir at Wellington, therefore it would not be prudent to advocate such a proposal without proper investigation of these concerns and far better understanding of what its purpose and benefit may be than have currently been outlined.
The Coalition has listened to Australians over the consultation period and will work to support a plan that balances the need to sustain jobs in regional Australia, the need to maintain our access to cheap and affordable fresh food and to improve the environmental health of the Murray-Darling basin.
The Coalition will make a decision on the plan once a final version has been brought to Parliament. At this stage, the Minister still says that the water target could go up or down, the States don’t agree with each other and we haven’t even seen the water recovery strategy which will tell us where the government will get this water from.
The Coalition remains committed to finding practical solutions that deliver a healthy environment and jobs in regional Australia.
Yours sincerely
Simon Birmingham
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray-Darling Basin
The Gillard Government, however, has mismanaged this important reform. The resulting chaos meant more delays in returning water to the environment and more uncertainty for the 2.1 million Australians who live in the Basin, especially our primary producers.
The Gillard Government has failed to upgrade irrigation infrastructure which could provide more water for the environment without it being at the expense of productive activities. For a government that seems profligate in all other areas, they have been frugal in this one, spending a pittance of the $6 billion that the previous Howard Government left for this purpose.
Much of the required water savings can and will be achieved through improvements to system efficiency, to farm efficiency and through infrastructure works. While these measures have lagged under Labor, under the Coalition they will be the priority. This approach will ensure that we will minimise the volume of water taken out of productive use.
In relation to the specific works you have mentioned, I can assure you that the Coalition does support the dredging of the Narrung Narrows between Lake Albert and Lake Alexandrina and we have been critical of the South Australian Labor Government’s failure to properly remove the temporary bund (weir) built here during the drought, which has resulted in decreased connectivity between the Lakes.
I can also inform you that we support the undertaking of an Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed connector between Lake Albert and the Coorong and have lobbied both the South Australian State and Federal Labor Governments repeatedly on this matter.
Works are nearing completion on the ‘Reflows’ project which will return water from South-East SA into the Coorong. I expect that this will have positive impacts for the Lower Coorong and will monitor those outcomes closely.
I am concerned that the Barrages are aging and are in need of replacement. I expect any replacement would include automation, however, management of the Barrages is a matter for the South Australian Government in conjunction with the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.
Much scientific argument presently surrounds the issue of building a weir at Wellington, therefore it would not be prudent to advocate such a proposal without proper investigation of these concerns and far better understanding of what its purpose and benefit may be than have currently been outlined.
The Coalition has listened to Australians over the consultation period and will work to support a plan that balances the need to sustain jobs in regional Australia, the need to maintain our access to cheap and affordable fresh food and to improve the environmental health of the Murray-Darling basin.
The Coalition will make a decision on the plan once a final version has been brought to Parliament. At this stage, the Minister still says that the water target could go up or down, the States don’t agree with each other and we haven’t even seen the water recovery strategy which will tell us where the government will get this water from.
The Coalition remains committed to finding practical solutions that deliver a healthy environment and jobs in regional Australia.
Yours sincerely
Simon Birmingham
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray-Darling Basin
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