By OLIVER CAFFREY
LOCAL farming communities continue to feel disillusioned after the final Murray-Darling Basin Plan gets set to be introduced into parliament.The
Tony Burke was presented with the final plan to consider for adoption on Wednesday and he signed off on it yesterday, with the document to be presented to parliament in the coming weeks.Federal Minister for Water,
It comes after last month's Federal Government announcement in South Australia that the environmental water quota would be increased from 2750 gigalitres to 3200 gigalitres through a 10-year infrastructure renewal program separate to the plan's guidelines.
A water forum held at Barham on Wednesday night, which was attended by Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter, gave residents a chance to voice their disapproval with the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and the Commonwealth Government.
Mr Katter, who spoke for close to an hour mostly about the state of Australian politics and promoting his new book, said he "would go down fighting" to stand up for farming communities affected by the plan.
"The Federal Government have to ask, 'Do they want a rural Australia?'," he said.
"With this plan they are saying, 'no, we don't'. They are letting farming communities die and become complete ghost towns.
"I'm standing up for your rights and I'm going down fighting, if that's what it takes."
Mr Katter said the lack of support for his ideas in parliament is making it hard to gain any headway.
"At the moment, I just can't get a seconder (to support him)," he said.
"Really, I can't do much for you, it's got to be up to you and show them who has the power, and that is you (the public)."
The Queensland politician's Our Land, Our Water public forums also took him to Griffith and Mildura during the week.
Former Wakool Shire mayor Ken Trewin, who chaired the meeting, said an upcoming television documentary to be broadcast next month would highlight the water struggle to city-based people, rather than just country residents.
"This documentary will change politics in this country," he said.
"Finally, people in the city will be able to see what has gone on and see the plan for what it really is."
Former Goulburn-Murray Water board member, Ken Pattison said the plan has gradually got worse.
"I couldn't believe this plan could get any worse, but it has," he said.
"The damage and the losses to the community will be devastating. It will see communities become completely unviable.
"Everyone is just disillusioned with the entire plan."
Barham farmer John Lolicato said it was disappointing that the Federal Government seem to be going ahead with a plan without listening to the concerns of residents.
"What's the point of being part of a process, when you're not even being listened to," he said.
"We can't accept this plan. If we do that, all we're doing is selling ourselves short."
"It is a tragedy of monumental proportions," he said.Former chairman of the Murray-Lower Darling River Management, Neil Eagle called the plan a "tragedy".
"We've been completely shafted as a rural sector in this whole process."
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