Sunday 9 December 2012

Murray advisers city-based



NONE of the six scientists chosen to implement economic, social and scientific aspects of the Murray Darling Basin Plan are from the region, infuriating irrigators and regional representatives.
All the members of the advisory committee are academics based in capital cities. The Australian Financial Review has obtained the list of appointees.
Nationals senator and Coalition spokesman on water, Barnaby Joyce, said the failure to appoint any locals was an attempt to control the debate about the impact that the removal of 2750 gigalitres of water would have on the basin.
"This is just Labor 'tick the box empathy'," he said. "We are afflicted by the prophets who ride over the range and tell us how to run our lives.
"The basin is home to more than 2 million people and they couldn't find one for this committee."
The six appointees work in the fields of ecology and environmental science. They are professors Poh-Ling Tan, Tom Kompas, Kate Auty, Dr Bill Young, Professor Stuart Bunn and Dr Brian Walker, who will chair the committee.
"This appointment underscores why regional communities have no faith in the MDBA [Murray Darling Basin Authority]," NSW irrigators Council chief executive Andrew Gregson said. "It shows 'localism' was an empty promise at best and a complete fabrication at worst.
"If [Environment Minister] Tony Burke has an ounce of credibility he will step in on the absurdity."
Basin authority chief executive Rhondda Dickson said: "We believe that this group is best placed to provide the authority with the strategic advice on scientific issues over the coming years."
An MDBA spokeswoman said the committee was not meant to be representative of the basin or of specific institutions, but of "the key scientific disciplines".
Macquarie River Food and Fibre executive officer Susan Madden said the appointments "are probably more about the skill and experience rather than where they live".
"However, I do think these appointments are symptomatic of the fact that the environment seems to have outweighed the social needs."
Murray Irrigation general manager Anthony Couroupis said many potential local candidates were dissuaded from nominating because they were frustrated by the authority's approach.
"These appointments seem academic and so I think we will get an academic approach to the social economic issues."

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