11 Oct, 2012 04:00 AM
FEDERAL Water Minister Tony Burke says new modelling by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) shows environmental outcomes can be drastically improved, without the river system's capacity constraints, which are regulations set to allow for bridge heights and infrastructure.But the move has been panned by the Coalition and farming and irrigation groups as being poorly conceived and inadequate, with no consideration given to the social and economic impacts of stripping 3200 gigalitres from Basin communities.
In releasing details this week, Minister Burke said previous modelling of 2400, 2800 and 3200GL, was held back due to the system's various capacity constraints.
He said diminishing returns were created where extra water was no longer delivering a particular environmental dividend.
The MDBA was asked to remodel flows of 3200GL to measure impacts with system constraints removed.
"I'm pleased to say the environmental outcomes that are present in this modelling are staggeringly different from what we had in the previous modelling with constraints in," he said.
"If you just take one section of the river system... where the Murray and the Darling meet, down to Renmark... you increase the number of wetlands and vegetation that are able to get water by 87.5 per cent.
"There is a massive difference in being able to use the water more effectively in these constraints being removed."
But Mr Burke said he still needed to work through the issue with the Basin States with argument expected from upstream States about community impacts, "and rightly so".
He said questions would also be asked about how the water was acquired.
"The new piece of information we have today - which really is a massive shift from where all the modelling has been to date - is that with volumes of water well south of the 4000GL that have often been spoken about, we can make a massive environmental difference," he said.
"We're still working through the process."
Mr Burke said the constraints could be removed with the co-operation of the States.
He said removing the constraints in the modelling allowed for increasing maximum flows out of Hume and Menindee.
It was then presumed the water could be used with easements over land and without having to take into account bridge heights and other issues.
He said there would be no cost to removing some restraints, which only required a rule change.
Minister Burke also said he did not rule out compensation arising from any additional flooding.
Despite the new modelling, Mr Burke said he was still confident of tabling a plan in Federal Parliament this year.
"I've said all along I'm determined we make a decision on this, this year," he said.
"I do have a legal authority to be able to act unilaterally. My preference is not to do that."
National Irrigators Council chief executive officer Tom Chesson said the new modelling was a "political con job" which was not grounded in reality.
He said the situation was "farcical" and warned the new modelling would be used to appease the Green movement, which is still demanding 4000GL as a minimum in the Basin Plan.
He said the MDBA was "quite clearly embarrassed" at having undertaken modelling of the 3200GL without the system's capacity constraints, knowing it did not exist in the real world.
NSW Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodgkinson dismissed the modelling, saying removing 3200GL would flood private property, cause "massive river bank erosion" and submerge bridges and weirs.
"Even without taking into account the infrastructure and environmental damage wreaked by that level of flow, the Commonwealth is still yet to answer how any costs required to implement the Murray-Darling Basin Plan will be met," she said.
"It is best to take a common sense approach and first look at how we bridge the gap to the current target reduction figure of 2750GL before the Commonwealth considers removing constraints and buys back even more water."
Greens Murray-Darling Basin spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said "the best available science has always said the environment needs at least 4000GL to give the system a chance at good health", and queried why Mr Burke refused to model that higher figure.
NSW Irrigators Council chief executive officer Andrew Gregson said it placed the Basin Plan process "entirely in the realm of the absurd".
"It's utterly pointless to ignore constraints within the system in thinking about what you can do with that system," he said.
"What they call 'system constraints', you probably know as roads, bridges and flooded houses. They're not so easy to 'relax' or 'remove'."
National Farmers Federation chief executive officer Matt Linnegar said at a time when critical decisions were about to be made about the future of the Murray-Darling Basin and its communities, the focus should not be about how much more water can be tipped into the system, but how improved environmental outcomes can be delivered without hurting communities.
In releasing details this week, Minister Burke said previous modelling of 2400, 2800 and 3200GL, was held back due to the system's various capacity constraints.
He said diminishing returns were created where extra water was no longer delivering a particular environmental dividend.
The MDBA was asked to remodel flows of 3200GL to measure impacts with system constraints removed.
"I'm pleased to say the environmental outcomes that are present in this modelling are staggeringly different from what we had in the previous modelling with constraints in," he said.
"If you just take one section of the river system... where the Murray and the Darling meet, down to Renmark... you increase the number of wetlands and vegetation that are able to get water by 87.5 per cent.
"There is a massive difference in being able to use the water more effectively in these constraints being removed."
But Mr Burke said he still needed to work through the issue with the Basin States with argument expected from upstream States about community impacts, "and rightly so".
He said questions would also be asked about how the water was acquired.
"The new piece of information we have today - which really is a massive shift from where all the modelling has been to date - is that with volumes of water well south of the 4000GL that have often been spoken about, we can make a massive environmental difference," he said.
"We're still working through the process."
Mr Burke said the constraints could be removed with the co-operation of the States.
He said removing the constraints in the modelling allowed for increasing maximum flows out of Hume and Menindee.
It was then presumed the water could be used with easements over land and without having to take into account bridge heights and other issues.
He said there would be no cost to removing some restraints, which only required a rule change.
Minister Burke also said he did not rule out compensation arising from any additional flooding.
Despite the new modelling, Mr Burke said he was still confident of tabling a plan in Federal Parliament this year.
"I've said all along I'm determined we make a decision on this, this year," he said.
"I do have a legal authority to be able to act unilaterally. My preference is not to do that."
National Irrigators Council chief executive officer Tom Chesson said the new modelling was a "political con job" which was not grounded in reality.
He said the situation was "farcical" and warned the new modelling would be used to appease the Green movement, which is still demanding 4000GL as a minimum in the Basin Plan.
He said the MDBA was "quite clearly embarrassed" at having undertaken modelling of the 3200GL without the system's capacity constraints, knowing it did not exist in the real world.
NSW Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodgkinson dismissed the modelling, saying removing 3200GL would flood private property, cause "massive river bank erosion" and submerge bridges and weirs.
"Even without taking into account the infrastructure and environmental damage wreaked by that level of flow, the Commonwealth is still yet to answer how any costs required to implement the Murray-Darling Basin Plan will be met," she said.
"It is best to take a common sense approach and first look at how we bridge the gap to the current target reduction figure of 2750GL before the Commonwealth considers removing constraints and buys back even more water."
Greens Murray-Darling Basin spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said "the best available science has always said the environment needs at least 4000GL to give the system a chance at good health", and queried why Mr Burke refused to model that higher figure.
NSW Irrigators Council chief executive officer Andrew Gregson said it placed the Basin Plan process "entirely in the realm of the absurd".
"It's utterly pointless to ignore constraints within the system in thinking about what you can do with that system," he said.
"What they call 'system constraints', you probably know as roads, bridges and flooded houses. They're not so easy to 'relax' or 'remove'."
National Farmers Federation chief executive officer Matt Linnegar said at a time when critical decisions were about to be made about the future of the Murray-Darling Basin and its communities, the focus should not be about how much more water can be tipped into the system, but how improved environmental outcomes can be delivered without hurting communities.
No comments:
Post a Comment