Thank you for your email regarding the Murray Darling Basin.
The Nationals are absolutely focused on ensuring there is a balanced outcome for regional communities.
The Government must equally take into account the economic, social and environmental impacts of the plan. To date I believe the Government has not properly considered the economic and social impacts of permanently removing water from our regional communities.
We all want a cleaner, healthier environment for the future. However, our regional families and businesses cannot be expected to bear the brunt of an excessive requirement of water buyback from their communities.
We need to ensure we have sustainable rural and regional communities on the future. Unfortunately, to date the Federal Labor Government has failed to show they understand the ramifications of the current Murray Darling Basin Authority plan on regional communities across the basin.
The Liberal/National Coalition want to see the right plan implemented and believe a better plan is achievable.
We all want a cleaner, healthier environment for the future. However, our regional families and businesses cannot be expected to bear the brunt of an excessive requirement of water buyback from their communities.
We need to ensure we have sustainable rural and regional communities on the future. Unfortunately, to date the Federal Labor Government has failed to show they understand the ramifications of the current Murray Darling Basin Authority plan on regional communities across the basin.
The Liberal/National Coalition want to see the right plan implemented and believe a better plan is achievable.
Our principles for a better basin plan are simple.
1. We support as triple bottom line approach to Basin reform that balances economic, social and environmental needs.
2. We need more information on exactly how the water will be recovered. In particular, we need solid guarantees from the Government that a minimum amount of the water will come from infrastructure or environmental works and measures. More promises, given the record of this government, won't cut it.
3. The government must come clean on what its plans are for environmental watering, especially in localised wetlands and environmental assets. This has to be about real environmental outcomes, not a number.
4. We have to allow locals to have more of a say in exactly how the water is returned. This was the foundation of the successful Living Murray Initiative, a model that was recommended for adoption by the House of Representatives review last year. A recommendation that the government has ignored.
5. The plan must be legally robust. A lot of questions remain about whether this plan will withstand legal challenge. Because the government refuses to release its legal advice, these questions will linger.
Once again, thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding this important matter.
Kind regards,
Senator Fiona Nash
1. We support as triple bottom line approach to Basin reform that balances economic, social and environmental needs.
2. We need more information on exactly how the water will be recovered. In particular, we need solid guarantees from the Government that a minimum amount of the water will come from infrastructure or environmental works and measures. More promises, given the record of this government, won't cut it.
3. The government must come clean on what its plans are for environmental watering, especially in localised wetlands and environmental assets. This has to be about real environmental outcomes, not a number.
4. We have to allow locals to have more of a say in exactly how the water is returned. This was the foundation of the successful Living Murray Initiative, a model that was recommended for adoption by the House of Representatives review last year. A recommendation that the government has ignored.
5. The plan must be legally robust. A lot of questions remain about whether this plan will withstand legal challenge. Because the government refuses to release its legal advice, these questions will linger.
Once again, thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding this important matter.
Kind regards,
Senator Fiona Nash
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