Friday 31 August 2012

Mental illness and me

Hi everyone, I just want to give an insight of what it is like to live with a severe form of depression.
In the old days I could get up and get going at daylight or soon after, now with all the medication I take it is more like 8.30 or 9am and that is after 10 or 11 hours sleep, if I cut my sleep short too many times I end up very ratty again.
Some days my anxiety levels are that bad that I can't leave the house, this can last for days.
If I overdo things like going to Canberra last week, I will end up very ratty a few days later, but that is the price to pay.
I wish I could work at the same level I did years ago, but am able to live within the constraints the illness places on me, thankfully Victoria has an excellent mental health system which I can go into whenever I need to, but to get in to that it took a very serious attempt at my own life.
So where to from here, well it is one day at a time and take on challenges in bite size pieces.
Remember their is lots of good help out there if you are feeling depressed, all you need to do is reach out and believe me I know how hard that is to do when you feel bad, life is worth living, we live in the greatest country on this planet.

Thursday 30 August 2012

LET'S HOPE AND PRAY

Indeed let's hope and pray for a decent and fair deal from Tony Burke and the MDBA.
Honestly I don't like our chances and I have a bad feeling about it.
It have had the opinion from very early in these proceedings that we were not being listened to, but like you continued in good faith, thinking that surely the weight of numbers and evidence would turn things to the better for us, well I am sure you will agree that at this stage we have been well and truly conned.

We must not accept a second rate deal now, we must hold out for a fair deal for all of our farmers and communities.
I am the first to acknowledge that our river systems were over burdened, that has changed significantly over that last couple of decades and can change more significantly over the coming years.Our magnificent irrigation system was built by vision, co-operation and bloody hard work, we must apply all of those things plus more to now bring it in to the 21st century and beyond. Simply taking more water off farmers is the far too simple approach and shows a lack of forethought and vision.
I also believe the people running the MDBA are very obvious political appointments and know bugger all about what is occurring today in the Murray Darling Basin, we need a big skid just like Queensland, NSW and Victoria have done and appoint fair minded and realistic people to it.

REMEMBER WITH VISION, TIME, CO-OPERATION AND MONEY WE CAN ACHIEVE SATISFACTORY OUTCOMES FOR ALL PARTIES INVOLVED

So I once again implore our states, please do not fold at this crucial stage, stand by us and we will stand by you, together we can make a Murray Darling Basin food powerhouse for Australia

So from sunny Cobram, keep well, pray for our 5 very brave soldiers, their families and friends, their and their colleagues valiant and heroic efforts keep Australia the virtual paradise it is today.
RIP you tremendous Australians, we salute and honour you.

Peter

Tuesday 28 August 2012

BLACKEST HOLE SINCE FEDERATION

Can you believe what is going on in Canberra?
Shit I can't, this labor government is wallowing under a mountain of evidence against its members and the Prime Minister and are using borrowed money to create an enormous void around it, this void is costing tens of millions if not hundreds of millions of dollars.
Gillard has got 1,600 that is one thousand six hundred media advisers, in other words spin doctors. Why the hell would any leader need that many?
The union thugs are out of control again and remember their predecessors are the ones running our country and they are getting up to exactly the same tricks.
Our country is in the blackest hole since Federation, make no doubt about that, we have a federal government who are out of control and a media that is letting them do it.
OUR GROSS DEBT WILL SOON BE IN EXCESS OF $300 BILLION DOLLARS, THAT IS $300,000,000,000 SHIT THAT'S A LOT OF NOUGHTS.
WHEN THESE FOOLS TOOK OVER FROM THE COALITION IT WAS $70 BILLION

Monday 27 August 2012

A BASIN PLAN GOING NOWHERE


27th August 2012

Letter to the Editor

A BASIN PLAN GOING NOWHERE

Hello one and all again,
So what has been going on the last few weeks?
Well not a lot of media coverage, which is to be expected, but it is great to see all the people and organisations who have been fighting for a fairer basin plan all well and truly active.

I travelled to Canberra last Wednesday with a car full of new Facebook friends and we attended a very interesting rally in front of Parliament House, not a great load of people (around 300) but by gee were they passionate.
I had a great time walking around showing my Basin Plan placards and they generated a great deal of interest.
Of course the carbon tax and our PM’s more than unfortunate past were the main topics of debate. Michael Smith spoke at length about his stance on the PM’s past and it was extremely enlightening, I already had a dim view of her, but it is a very black view now.

Where to from here?
Honestly I can not see how a fair basin plan can possibly be negotiated between the states and a radical, left wing, minority Federal Government, so let’s keep the pressure right on the states and delay this process until the inevitable (a change in our Federal Government), then we need to keep the pressure on all of our coalition politicians and hold them to their promises.

REMEMBER: WITH TIME, VISION, COMMON SENSE AND OF COURSE MONEY A FAIR MURRAY DARLING BASIN PLAN CAN BE ACHIEVED FOR ALL INTERESTED PARTIES.

YOU CAN KEEP UP TO DATE ABOUT MY AND OTHERS CONTINUING EFFORTS AT:
Facebook: Save Murray Darling Basin communities
Internet blog page: savemdbasin.blogspot.com.au

Cheers and let’s keep fighting,

Peter Gilmour

Saturday 25 August 2012

MAIN SUBMISSION TO THE MDBA


SUBMISSION TO THE MURRAY DARLING BASIN AUTHORITY
RE: MURRAY DARLING BASIN PLAN

Peter Gilmour – Experience and qualifications
The Gilmour Family settled in the Cobram area some 150 years ago, my great grandfather John Gilmour was an early importer of Clydesdale horses and was known as the “Father of the Tungamah Shire”. Up until my career was cut short by mental illness I was a third generation stock & station and real estate agent and very proud and happy to be so.

During my career I took on many very strong challenges including starting from scratch my own real estate agency in Tocumwal NSW.

I was heavily involved in Apex for over 20 years being a member of 5 clubs and holding every executive position up to District Governor.

My father ran an irrigation farm along with his own stock and station agency when I was a child.
I have many life long friends who are irrigation farmers.

Prior to the Murray darling Basin Plan consultation process beginning I created a Facebook page: “Save Murray Darling Basin communities”.
I spend many hours each day researching articles etc regarding the Murray Darling Basin and keeping the page updated.

Therefore I believe I have an inherent knowledge of the Murray River, its environs and irrigation.

WATER REQUIRED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL FLOWS
It has always been my belief that all water savings required for larger flows in the river systems can be achieved through infrastructure spending, this view has been enhanced greatly with my research.

 Victoria’s NVIRP and other infrastructure programmes have already returned some 344 gigalitres per year for environmental flows and we have not even scratched the surface yet for infrastructure improvements.

THE AMOUNT OF WATER ACTUALLY NEEDED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL FLOWS
Nobody knows this and can not purport to, Australia is a boom and bust environment and we have certainly seen that over the last 12 years.

I find it deeply disturbing to read some of the figures bandied about that need to flow down our rivers, most of these are ridiculous and can not possibly flow through some of the rivers natural limits, the Barmah Choke on the Murray River being one of those.

I question anybody that believes they can put an accurate figure on what the “environment” needs for flows down our rivers.

Farmers also need to be recognised as amongst the best carers of our environment.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA AND THE LOWER LAKES
The lower lakes have also been altered considerably since Captain Cook sailed in to Sydney, they have been made in to a predominately fresh water system, where as before the concrete barrages were put in they were a salt water estuary.

The lower lakes lose in the vicinity of 2000 gigalitres per year in evaporation.

The notion that the Murray River mouth should be naturally open 9 years out of 10 is complete nonsense, it would never have been this prior to dams and irrigation.

There are many stories prior to dams and irrigation of the rivers being reduced to puddles.

MURRAY DARLING BASIN IRRIGATION AND LACK OF MAINTENANCE
The whole Murray Darling Basin was created with vision just like the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric scheme.

The Murray Darling Basin has helped shape Australia in to the wonderful country it is today, the basin directly affects 2.1 million Australians and indirectly affects every Australian. It secures clean, safe and well priced food for Australia and indeed the world.

What we need now is that same vision and commitment.

Since the major irrigation infrastructure was started during the depression and really spurred on after the second world war their has been minimal spending on maintenance of the system, the channel system has leaked for at least 50 years.

I would like to acknowledge the important work that has been done on irrigation over the years especially in regard to salinity and drainage along with laser levelling etc, this has seen a huge savings in water use which to the best of my knowledge has not been recognised properly.

EFFECTS ON COMMUNITIES OF WATER BUY BACKS UP TO DATE
There also needs to be far more recognition of the shocking effects water buy backs have already impacted on our communities. Shepparton for example, one of Victoria’s major provincial cities has 77 (seventy seven) empty shops.

The soldier settlement scheme just out of Cobram which 20 years ago had dozens of flourishing farms on every road, drive down some of those same roads today and you quite often only see
3 or 4 farms, that means less people shopping in towns and less children going to schools etc.

So the effects of more water buybacks are going to have a far greater detrimental effect on Basin farmers its communities and Australia.

If this plan is allowed to go through in its current format I can see in 10 years many devastated communities in the Murray Darling Basin.

It is my wish and I would say many others in the Murray Darling Basin along with many Australians that you cease water buy backs for at least 5 years and concentrate on infrastructure spending.

Don’t be the ones Australians of future generations call
“those people who ruined our food industry”.

Agriculture has been the mainstay for Australia right from when white man settled here, irrigated agriculture is an integral part of that.

Mining has a finite time line, agriculture and irrigation can go on forever.

Yours Faithfully,

Peter Gilmour

MDBA SUBMISSION 19/12/2011


19th December 2011

Murray Darling Basin Authority

Dear Sir/Madam.
A merry christmas to you all.
Firstly thank you for facing the people affected by the basin plan over the last week, it showed to me that you are prepared to listen and hopefully make changes to what is a dramatically flawed basin plan.

My family settled in the Cobram area some 150 years ago, so I have a deep and I believe well balanced knowledge of the Murray River, its environs and irrigation. My background was in the stock & station and real estate agency industry, but unfortunately my career has been cut short by mental illness.

I have heard many stories of the Murray River not flowing during droughts prior to dams and irrigation, I have never seen this in my 52 years.

I have dealt with, socialised with and made life long friendships with many farmers over my life time, they are truly an industry we must cherish and treat with far greater respect than they currently receive.

Irrigation was developed many decades ago and has been one of the main industries driving Australia as a nation. Successive Federal and State Governments have charged farmers for irrigation water and yet spent next to nothing improving this enormous asset, to the point it is now in terrible disrepair, the channels have leaked for at least 40 years. Time for governments to cough up and return this asset to a jewel in the crown once again. By doing this we can return all the water to the rivers the environment needs plus much more.

Finally, we must be very careful how much water we return down the river as flooding as over flooding will have a huge detrimental affect on our trees and plants in the forests.

No doubt I will be in contact again.

Yours Faithfully,

Peter Gilmour

NOTES FROM MDBA MEETING


NOTES FROM MDBA MEETING WITH FEDERAL MINISTER TONY BURKE IN SHEPPARTON 29/11/2011

NEXT MEETING IN SHEPPARTON WILL BE ON 13TH DECEMBER AND WILL BE A PUBLIC OPEN MEETING.

The meeting was held at Shepparton Parklake Motor Inn and was well attended.
I commend Tony Burke for making himself available at short notice and also everyone who attended on the same short notice.
The meeting was well attended with the room being full mostly by people who will be affected by the MDBA plan.

I got in early (2nd) and my main point was that I believe the 1,000 gigalitres of “new water” required by the plan can be found easily by infrastructure spending, NVIRP has already delivered 214 gigalitres. Also that communities across the whole basin have felt the effects of water buy backs already eg 70 empty shops in Shepparton.
I also stated that I thought it unrealistic that the murray river mouth be open 9 years out of ten.

(My forefathers settled around Cobram and the stories have been told of the murray river being reduced to puddles before the dams were built, the river has flowed for every one of my 52 years.)

One of the next speakers raised his concerns about the 1,000 gigalitres per year required is at the lower end of what is really going to be required.

Tony Burke spoke well right throughout, he then made a point “ Science and scientific information is good policy”, I question his reasoning here.
He also talked about “General Tenders”, my question is “What are they” He also stated that he does not believe all savings can be made by infrastructure spending. He later on talked about how infrastructure spending will cost a lot of money and it became pretty obvious to me that the government want to get all the plan through the cheapest way possible eg water buy backs.

Sharman Stone (local Federal MP) then spoke and she stated that we all need proper accounting measures for environmental measures.
100 megalitres of water lost off farms across the basin equals 1 job loss and that the loss of users on the channel system will increase the cost of water exponentially to the remaining farmers.

A lady from GV environmental group then asked why climate change had not been taken in to account in the plan, Tony Burke answered that later very sensibly.

Figures of 25,000 megalitres to 40,000 megalitres per day would be required at different times of the years for “environmental” that will be impossible to deliver as the “Barmah Choke” can only handle 10,000 megalitres per day.

Tony Burke then replied and talked about how the new NSW Government had torn up the previously agreed to engineering plan for the Menindee Lakes, in fairness to Tony he did not seem to have a problem with that and said that was their right.

Richard Bull from “Waters for Rivers” then spoke and said that as demonstrated through infrastructure works already, it has shown that the needed savings can be made by infrastructure spending.

Another bloke from GV environmental then spoke and his main point was that the environment really needs 50% of water allocations (he got heckled).

Jim McKeown from Yarroweyah then spoke and told the crowd that 5 years ago there were 10 dairy farms on Singapore Road, Yarroweyah, now there are 2 and I can tell you that goes for every road in what we call the “Soldier Settlement area”. I have known Jim for a long time now and you would not get a better bloke. On Jim’s and his son farm they have borrowed excessively through the drought (like every other irrigation farmer that is left) and thought now would be the time to make some money. As Jim stated “Where to from here”.

Tony Burke then spoke again and the main point was that farmers would have to pay more for water with infrastructure spending when they possibly will not have to with buy backs.
Talk about loading the gun.

Andrew Broad VFF Chairman, the basin plan is creating an enormous amount of insecurity  in high value irrigation farming, he argues that the 1,000 gigalitres per year of “new water” required by the plan should be put on hold until 2015 at least to see how much we have save in infrastructure spending.

Then a guy spoke and he raised the issue of how the water allocations of water were capped in 1987 and spoke of 5,200 gigalitres saving.

The Chairman of the Fruit Growers Association then spoke and warned that there is a lot of fruit growers who are trapped, whether to invest or get out and the plan is complicating that, he believes strategic buy back of water allocations is the go.

I thought Tony Burke spoke very well and made his point and I must say came across as a pretty decent bloke who has an extremely broad knowledge of what is happening in the basin, but at the end of the day it will be the Labor Party who calls the shots and we have seen how they perform unfortunately.

WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE OUR SAY AND I AM DETERMINED TO HAVE MY AND PLENTY OF OTHER VOICES FROM ACROSS THE BASIN COMMUNITIES HEARD.

“KEEPING UP THE FIGHT”

LETTER TO SEN HELEN KROGER


3rd February 2012

Senator Helen Kroger
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600

Dear Senator Kroger,
Thank you for your response to my letter to you regarding the Murray Darling Basin plan, I can tell you I have had very few replies from both sides of politics.

Through my Facebook page “Save Murray Darling Basin communities” I have been and will continue to keep people updated with as much information as I can find.

The whole MDBA consultation process is a sham. The plan is disastrous for everybody living in the Murray Darling Basin and will impact on the food prices for all Australians. It is my belief that all water savings plus much more required for environmental flows can be achieved through infrastructure spending.

My family settled near Cobram nearly 150 years ago, I was a 3rd generation stock & station and real estate agent up until mental illness cut my career short. I have a deep understanding of irrigation, farming, the murray river and its environs along with our communities, so I am as well qualified or far better qualified to comment on the shocking Basin plan as anyone. I have always tried to keep my arguments balanced, but I get extremely annoyed at some of the statements Minister Tony Burke, the MDBA and Craig Knowles and Labor politicians come out with.

What we need now from the Liberal/National coalition is decisive action. Tony Abbot needs to come out publicly in support of the Murray Darling Basin and what the Coalition’s proposals are in relation to the plan. What I do not want to see is this fight becoming ugly, but the MDBA’s actions and statements just might see that happen.

This plan will affect the food security of Australia for not only our generation but all future generations, our fight really needs to be placed in the national spotlight with the Basin plan being put under the microscope.

Once again thank you for your time and hopefully we can all affect change to the Murray Darling Basin plan.

Yours Faithfully,

Peter Gilmour

MDB IDEAS BY JOHN HAY


THIS IS A LIST OF IDEAS FROM A JOHN HAY WHO WITH HIS SON TONY AND THEIR FAMILIES OWN ULUPNA ISLAND STATION WHICH IS ONE OF OUR ICONIC PROPERTIES.
JOHN IS 71 AND HAS BEEN A DAIRY FARMER THEN A GRAZING/CROPPING FARMER SINCE HE WAS 13 SO KNOWS A THING OR 2 ABOUT IRRIGATION.
WITH JOHN’S PERMISSION I HAVE TYPED HIS LIST OUT AND POSTED IT

1 All new housing to have a minimum 50000 litre rain water tank and 2kw solar system

2 Build new dams for environmental water, start with Big Buffalo etc and these will also supply hydro electric power 24/7

3 Faze out carryover water to a maximum of 30% of allocation, it is too complicated and affecting water allocations, plus we don’t have dam capacity

4 Buy back water allocations from investors who don’t irrigate land

5 Build a wall across the narrow part of the Tallangatta arm of the Hume Weir.
The benefits would be, could grow the township, also increase the capacity of Hume Weir, plus if there was a need to release pressure off the main wall it would keep critical needs water and the pressure could be released much faster

6 Use engineering to flood iconic sites such as the Barmah Forest and other wetlands

7 With a growing population there is a need to create new water, not keep dividing up existing water

Finally use facts and common sense not science

John Hay
7 Torgannah Road
KOONOOMOO VIC 3644

0358 711443

SUBMISSIONS BY PETER OATAWAY


SENT BY PETER OATAWAY TO THE NSW NATIONALS AND PLACED ON THEIR MESSAGE BOARD
The Federal Murray Darling Basin Plan is damaging all Southern NSW communities from the start of the Murrumbidgee and the Murray through to Wentworth.
Commercial confidence and local revenue has been destroyed in a lot of towns, residential and commercial real estate values have decreased and many businesses have had a big drop in turnover and profitability.
Banks are hesitant to lend and Business Owners are reluctant to expand in the cloud of uncertainty the Murray Darling Basin Plan and Federal Government has caused in these communities.
Then we have the knock on problems, less jobs, less ratepayers, less kids at schools, less people, less teachers, less doctors, less nurses, less police, less money - less everything
I live in a Southern NSW Murrumbidgee River community, reason I am highlighting the Southern NSW part of the Murray Darling is that our area is losing the most productive water and subsequently revenue
Nothing the Federal Gillard/Windsor Government is offering NSW comes close to paying back the misery and suffering this extremely South Australian biased Murray Darling Basin Plan and Water buybacks have caused and will continue to cause like Houses and Businesses suffering up to 50% asset price devaluation (possibly more)
I will remind all there are no elected National Party politicians in Federal or State South Australian parliament. The Liberal party MP's state and federal need to be reminded of this 24/7 by coalition partner National MP's - people in Southern NSW river communities vote National because they don't want their future put in jeopardy by Urban fads like this one to shut down our irrigation industry, we see the Nationals as the only uniquely Rural party that will not be seduced to pander to the environmental votes in places like Adelaide where the local Liberal MP's such as Cory Bernadi signed ACF pledges alongside other SA politicians like Greens Sarah Hansen Young.
My take on how to proceed - Barry O'Farrell and Andrew Stoner withdraw NSW from the Federal Murray Darling Basin Plan - perhaps like West Australia did with the Federal Health Plan - the state (NSW) returns some water back to the environmental flow of the rivers, but only after the triple bottom line process where Social and Economic factors are put on the table as well, and NSW not the Federal and South Australian government decides the amount of water to be returned to the river.
This would go a long way to lifting the cloud of doom the Murray Darling Basin Plan has currently placed on Southern NSW communities, we are under stress now, the sooner the NSW State Government took this step the better.
Until NSW hopefully withdraws from the MDBP, I would also like see a Federal MP based in Southern NSW in a prominent Coalition position perhaps as a spokesman on this issue, I would like to see Michael McCormick be given at least equal status to Simon Birmingham in the Coalition - Murray Darling Basin Plan spokespeople
PETER OATAWAY’S SUBMISSION TO THE MURRAY DARLING BASIN AUTHORITY
To: Murray Darling Basin Authority
I have been active highlighting the economic damage that water buybacks and Murray Darling Basin Authority proposed further irrigation water reductions will cause my town of Hay, the economic damage is already effecting us through

Property devaluation
Depopulation
Decreased Commercial lending activity and confidence
Stress and Mental Anguish
Decrease of rate paying base
Reduced district revenue
Job reductions
School enrolment reductions
Basin plan meetings held so far in nearby Riverina communities Griffith (which I attended) + Deniliquin these above points I mention were also mentioned by others.

In this submission I would like to draw attention to a major concern I have with the integrity of a key part of the science the Murray Darling Basin Authority is looking at to form the plan. The part of the science that concerns me is that undertaken and lobbied by the Wentworth Group of concerned scientists.

A member and major funder of the Wentworth Group Mr Robert Purves AM has qualifications in Communication not what many would consider are scientific qualifications, he lists his occupation as Company Director - he is also President of WWF Australia a major lobby group pressuring Government and possibly the Murray Darling Basin Authority for higher irrigation reduction targets.

http://www.wentworthgroup.org/members/mr-robert-purves-am

How can we be sure lobbying stopped at Government or MDBA level, I ask the question was it also used on scientists associated with the Wentworth Group ? scientists that were involved in drawing up the basin plan the Murray Darling Basin Authority is implementing.

Mr Purves is a significant member of the Wentworth Group he is a co-founder and a major financial sponsor of the group through the Purves Environmental fund.

Hence I question the total independence of members of the Wentworth Group of Scientists who contributed to the plan, and the direction they took the plan.

It has been said that in 2004 near the start of this Murray Darling basinplan process, the process at the time had support across all states and many of the vested interests wanting an outcome. Weight of numbers at meetings in Southern NSW and Northern Victoria compared to fewer numbers in South Australia and Queensland should indicate where the basin plan process has deviated from that original optimistic consensus.

In my opinion the source of this problem lies with contributing scientists from the Wentworth Group being advertently or inadvertently influenced by lobby groups such as the WWF which have links to other Wentworth Group members like Mr Purves.

Our smaller communities are having trouble being heard over the noise of Adelaide based politicians who sense financial opportunity (increased real estate value) in lobbying for more water to be sent to the lower Murray near the Goolwa Marina.

Overzealous environmentally biased science in this case has huge consequence for the people in Hay and nearby Southern NSW + Northern Victorian communities, many which have over 100 years history.

Water buybacks and the commercial uncertainty of this Basin plan has hitting these towns harder than serious past droughts.

Peter Oataway
359 Leonard Street
Hay
NSW 2711

Phone 0269 931888

LETTER TO MDBA


16th April 2012

Murray-Darling Basin Authority
Level 4, 51 Allara St,
Canberra City, ACT 2601

This is an open letter to the whole committee.

Dear Sirs and Madams,
I have already lodged a number of submissions so this is an open and frank letter to you.

Throughout the whole so called consultation process I have maintained a Facebook page and written numerous letters to newspapers, politicians, farming organisations and yourselves.
I have been heartened by the absolute huge number of support I have received through this process.
To date I do not believe I and many other people have made any impact in trying to bring some common sense and practicality to the basin plan.

I believe that from the outset you have had one version of this shocking plan in mind and you have not and will not deviate from it.

How dare you push through this awful plan when there is almost total opposition to it from farmers and people in the Basin communities?
The minority federal Labor Government does not have a mandate to push through such dreadful legislation which will affect many millions of people and future generations.

Having just read the NSW Farmers submission to yourselves, I am of the opinion that it is a brilliantly put together document and something you should consider as of extreme importance.

I know the greenies have probably flooded you with pro forma letters. But how many of them live in the Murray Darling Basin? Very few I suspect.

I have said right from the outset that with vision, common sense, commitment, time and money that we can achieve satisfactory results for everyone involved in this process.

Finally, your basin plan is extremely biased in what it wants to achieve and its research.
Who wrote the computer programmes that your whiz bang computer modelling is based on?

Yours Faithfully,
Peter Gilmour

LETTER TO TONY ABBOTT


10th April, 2012

The Honourable Tony Abbott MHR
Leader of the Opposition
Parliament House Canberra
Via email

Dear Mr Abbott,
RE: MURRAY DARLING BASIN PLAN

The time has come for you to come out with a definite stance in support of farmers and communities in the Murray Darling Basin.
Sure you have made a few token gestures and speeches but quite honestly that is not and will not be enough.

My family settled on the Murray River some 150 years ago so I believe I have an inherent knowledge of the Murray River, its environs and irrigation.
Since the start of the Basin plan consultation process I have been running a Facebook page and am in contact with people right across Australia, I have kept my audience small and targeted on purpose as I have wanted my page to be a forum for people like myself who have a deep concern about the Basin plan and who are extremely worried about its effects.
I believe the Green movement have way to much say in the media for the size of their support group.

This Basin plan is ridiculous in the extreme and can not I believe be made workable, it needs throwing away and starting again. Tony Burke and the MDBA are noted left wingers who have no idea about how badly affected Basin communities have been already by water buybacks.

IT WILL ALWAYS BE MY BELIEF THAT ALL WATER REQUIRED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL FLOWS PLUS MUCH MORE CAN BE ACHIEVED THROUGH INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING, WHAT WE NEED IS VISION, DETERMINATION AND A PROPER TIME FRAME.

So Tony what I ask of you is to announce your definite stance on the Basin plan which hopefully supports us, remembering 2.1 million people are directly affected by the Murray Darling Basin and it feeds at least 40 million people daily.

Thank you for your time.

Yours Faithfully,
Peter Gilmour

SHAME, SHAME, SHAME


26th March 2012

Tony Burke MP
Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
Parliament House
Canberra

Dear Tony,

SHAME, SHAME, SHAME

I have deliberately left out the honourable as there is nothing honourable about the Federal Labor Party.

You should all hang your heads in shame at the situation that stares you directly in the face today, that is the political oblivion of the Labor Party.

While I have grown up in a conservative environment I have 2 sisters who are school teachers and vote Labor, they have even convinced me to vote Labor a couple of times, NEVER EVER AGAIN WILL I VOTE LABOR. The Labor party was always the party that fought for the worker and had a proud heritage, it is a mere shadow of its former self today.

As you are probably well aware I have been very involved in the Murray Darling Basin plan consultation process. If you have any decency at all you must withdraw from this process immediately as it is glaringly obvious you have no mandate to continue, not doing this and continuing will dig your political grave ever deeper.

I feel no pride at all about the smashing Labor received in Queensland, instead I feel very sad as it is you Tony and your Federal colleagues who are more than 50% responsible for it.
Anna Bligh is a decent person and did not deserve what she got.

What is now happening is a huge body blow for the Australian Labor Party and will see you thrown in to political oblivion for a long time and it is all your own fault, you have no idea about the dreams and aspirations of the average Australian and are so far out of tune with your constituents it is a very rude joke.


The Murray Darling Basin irrigation areas was born of the same vision such as the Snowy Mountains scheme, we need that same vision again today.
Since the inception of irrigation successive State and Federal governments (you included) have charged farmers for irrigation water but yet have spent miserable amounts of money maintaining and improving this same system. This can not and must not continue, time for you all to cough up and invest in to this fabulous asset we all have and bring it in to the 21st century. In doing this you will also return all the water required for environmental flows plus much more.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and hopefully you can bring a successful 2012 to us all.

Yours Faithfully,
Peter Gilmour

LETTER TO LABOR MP'S


20th December 2011

The Hon. Julia Gillard MP

The Hon. Wayne Swan MP

The Hon. Tony Burke MP

Senator the Hon. Joe Ludwig

Dear Prime Minister, Mr. Swan, Mr. Burke and Mr. Ludwig,

RE: MURRAY DARLING BASIN PLAN

I am writing to you to let you know my views as well as what I have learned through my many hours of research in to the above matter.
The Murray Darling Basin plan is ill conceived, thoroughly biased and based on flawed modelling.

The vast majority of people living in the Murray Darling Basin are absolutely gobsmacked that such a plan as this could ever see the light of day. What happened to the vision that has developed Australia in to the great nation it is today? Certainly I see none in the Federal Labor party.

My family settled around the Cobram district some 150 years ago and have stayed here since, so I believe I have an excellent knowledge of the Murray River, its environs and irrigation.
The Murray River and its environs have never looked healthier in my 52 years, over flooding of the forested areas will cause far more damage than the dams and irrigation have.
Before dams and irrigation there are many stories of the Murray River running dry, this has never occurred in my life time.

The Murray Darling Basin irrigation areas was born of the same vision such as the Snowy Mountains scheme, we need that same vision again today.
Since the inception of irrigation successive State and Federal governments (you included) have charged farmers for irrigation water but yet have spent miserable amounts of money maintaining and improving this same system. This can not and must not continue, time for you all to cough up and invest in to this fabulous asset we all have and bring it in to the 21st century. In doing this you will also return all the water required for environmental flows plus much more.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and hopefully you can bring a successful 2012 to us all.

Yours Faithfully,
Peter Gilmour

LETTER TO BARNABY JOYCE


22nd March 2012

Dear Barnaby,
Thank you for your press releases today, once again you explain things in plain English and are straight to the point.

This shocking and disgusting toxic federal government are wreaking havoc on the Murray Darling Basin and rural Australia to satisfy their extremely narrow minded and stupid beliefs.
We all know that change must happen in the Murray Darling Basin, everybody accepts that, what the MDBA and the Federal Government have shown is a complete unwillingness to change the way the Basin plan is written, this whole so called "consultation process" has been nothing but an extremely rude political exercise.

I must thank you Barnaby for it is you who gave me the confidence to become involved in the "consultation process" it has made me feel alive again, but I feel quite deflated that all the efforts made by the many people and organisations like me have fallen on deaf ears.

Where to from here, well we just keep putting the pressure on and hope for a very early federal election.

We can not and must not let them get their way.

Yours faithfully,

Peter Gilmour

Saturday 18 August 2012

WHERE TO FROM HERE?

7th August 2012

WHERE TO FROM HERE?

I sit here feeling gutted and deflated, cancer robs members of my family and seems to have a huge hold on the Murray Darling Basin.
For that is what Tony Burke and his team of cronies are, a bloody great cancer to us all living in the Murray Darling Basin.

I read all that goobledegook and double talk the MDBA released yesterday and thought “This doesn’t feel much different” and of course it isn’t. They have always had their set agenda and will yield nothing if very little to us people in the basin, that has been my view since nearly the beginning of their disastrous and shockingly expensive “consultation process”.
So what have we achieved apart from spending millions of dollars and untold tens of thousands of hours putting our case, quite simply “SWEET BUGGER ALL”.

Never before have I been witness to such an undemocratic and illegal process as this one and I quite often wonder where our lives are headed, but I live with my debilitating illness and think of the many millions of other people worse off and that is what drives me forward, that is what should drive all of us forward, making tomorrow’s world a better place than what we leave it.

Common sense must prevail, we can make the Murray Darling Basin work for everyone involved, for if we do not, our future generations will pay the price.

I have always said that with time, vision, money and common sense we can improve our irrigation systems and give all the water savings required.
If we can spend $50 billion plus on an NBN network that has less than a 10% take up, surely we can revitalise the Murray Darling Basin irrigation systems.

Let’s cut the double talk, let’s get fair dinkum, let’s let the true blue Aussie spirit shine, let’s create a whole new tomorrow.
Facebook: “Save Murray Darling Basin communities”

Keeping up the fight,
Peter Gilmour
Cobram

RALLY IN CANBERRA

27 July 2012 

NSW Farmers
Victorian Farmers Federation
Murray Group of Concerned Communities
NSW Irrigators Council
Barnaby Joyce

A very good day to you all,

I have just read the latest article in the The Land newspaper in regard to NSW Farmers’ stance on the Murray Darling Basin plan and that all amendments must be passed, I wholeheartedly agree with this.
I strongly urge everyone to adopt the same stance as NSW Farmers if you have not already done so.

We only have this one single opportunity to get the Murray Darling Basin plan right for our future generations.
It is absolutely pointless discussing future food production goals without having a common sense basin plan in place, because the basin feeds in excess of 40 million people 365 days per year.
Unfortunately for us while we are trying to decide on this most important plan we have an extremely unstable federal government that is very left and green biased, who seem not to be able to make common sense decisions.

WE MUST FIGHT, WE MUST FIGHT HARD, WE MUST FIGHT WITH DETERMINATION

I have been saying for some months now we need a rally in Canberra, Griffith did an enormous job in hosting theirs and must be fully congratulated.
We are all doing our utmost to try and bring some level headedness in to this whole process, what we need to ask ourselves: Is it enough?
If you like me come up with a no, then it is time to look at a march on Canberra.

The Consumers and Taxpayers Association are conducting a rally on the 22nd of August and we are all invited.

Yours Faithfully,
Peter Gilmour

SHAM, SHAM, SHAM MURRAY DARLING BASIN PLAN

4th July 2012

Letter to the Editor

SHAM, SHAM, SHAM MURRAY DARLING BASIN PLAN

It is now over 7 months since the farcical Murray Darling Basin Plan consultation process began. Since before then I have been running a Facebook page “Save Murray Darling Basin communities”, I now have quite a following with upwards of 2,000 people regularly reading the page and a total reach of nearly 35,000, that alone must tell us all how crucially important a sensible, visionary and common sense result with this basin plan must be for all people living in the basin, let alone Australia.

I, like most people involved with this process are completely dumbfounded and totally frustrated at the lack of vision and common sense shown by the Federal Labor Party, Tony Burke and the MDBA with regard to their disgusting and un Australian plan, they have not wanted to listen to us right from the outset of the whole process and that is showing well and truly now.

Getting this basin plan right is vitally important for the 2.1 million Australians the basin directly affects and the 40 million people it feeds every day 365 days per year.
The world has an ever burgeoning population, senselessly stealing more water from basin farmers won’t feed them, it is not only illegal, it is insane.

Tony Burke keeps harping on that he has the power to over rule the states, I think he and everyone else might find that to be no longer as valid in the light of some recent constitutional defeats by the federal government in the High Court, we as a people will always have the right to fight against oppression.

There is to be a rally held at Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday the 22nd of August starting at high noon, this rally is being organised by the Consumers and Taxpayers Association (CATA) and is being called the PEOPLE POWER HIGH 5 RALLY, the 5 main issues are WATER, LAND, FISHERIES, CARBON TAX, BUSINESS, more details are available on both my Facebook page and the CATA Facebook page, please if you want to make a difference, head to Canberra.

WE CAN NOT AND MUST NOT GIVE UP THIS FIGHT
MURRAY DARLING BASIN – THE FOOD BOWL OF AUSTRALIA

Let’s fight,
Peter Gilmour

BASIN CONSULTATION PROCESS A SHAM FROM THE START

Letter to the Editor

BASIN CONSULTATION PROCESS A SHAM FROM THE START 

Farmers and communities right across the Murray Darling Basin will be reeling in shock this week along with feeling a lot of anger, sadness and indeed hopelessness at the shocking revelation by the MDBA that they intend to lodge the plan in pretty much its original format.

The Federal Government along with the MDBA should hang their heads in shame in proposing such a disgraceful and disgusting plan. I for one am completely gob smacked that they have not paid any attention to all the thousands of submissions lodged by farmers, Shire Councils, ordinary citizens like me, farming groups, State Governments plus many more.

I have had a bad feeling for some months now that this would be the outcome, but hoped and prayed it would not be.
What we are witnessing is a further destruction of the Murray Darling Basin irrigation scheme. A scheme which feeds 40 million people every day, grows an enormous amount of cotton and which 2.1 million directly rely upon.
We are seeing businesses close on nearly a daily basis, some of them large, most small to medium.

Our economy is in trouble, so we need all our countries assets producing at their peak to provide employment and try to stave off a recession.
By investing in infrastructure we can provide all the water the environment needs plus more, what we need is vision, determination and of course money.
The irrigation infrastructure has been left largely untouched since it was built 40-60 years ago.
Successive governments have been happy to charge for that water and reap the profits, it is time for those same governments to invest and secure Australia’s food production future along with the future of people living in the Basin.

Unfortunately what we have with the Federal Labor party and the MDBA are people with extreme narrow vision, very little idea about irrigation and really they should all be given the sack and we start again.

LET’S HOPE AND PRAY FOR A FEDERAL ELECTION REALLY SOON

Yours disgusted and dismayed
Peter Gilmour
Cobram