PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has announced the return of an extra 450GL of water to the Murray River in South Australia, just weeks before the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is due to be tabled in parliament.
The commonwealth will push ahead with the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s original proposal to recover 2750GL per year from irrigators and return the flows to the environment.Ms Gillard yesterday pledged $1.7 billion to improve water efficiency and infrastructure so there’s more left for the environment.
But from 2019, the extra 450GL sourced from farming improvements will be added, meaning a total 3200GL will be given back to the environment each year.
The move has appeased a disgruntled South Australia, with Premier Jay Weatherill withdrawing his threat of a High Court challenge to the previous plan.
Victorian Water Minister Peter Walsh said he would not support the plan as it would achieve marginal environmental improvements and would cause widespread flooding.
“This would cause substantial and sustained flooding of towns and private land, which is totally unacceptable to Victoria,” Mr Walsh said in a statement.
“Victoria will only back the original plan agreed to by the states in July.”
Mr Tuohey said he was shocked that after five years of working on the plan, the Ms Gillard could step in and raise the agreed target to 3200GL.Victorian Farmers Federation president Peter Tuohey said Ms Gillard’s move had angered irrigators.
“What’s that say about the Federal Government consulting the states, irrigators and their communities?” Mr Tuohey said.
For more of this story, purchase your copy of Saturday's Sunraysia Daily 27-10-2012.
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