Sunday 9 December 2012

Vital to get it right



It was headed ‘‘final communique’’. But the 1665-word tome issued after the basin ministers met in Canberra on Friday highlighted just how far the fine detail of Murray-Darling Basin Plan has to go.
While conceding ‘‘a number of substantial issues are still to be resolved’’, by page three Federal Water Minister Tony Burke and his state counterparts began to cut to the chase.
They said basin governments were working on a new implementation agreement, which among other things would look at:
■ Making good the Commonwealth’s commitment to ‘‘bridge the gap’’ to Basin Plan Sustainable Diversion Limits (SDLs), so irrigators’ water entitlements will not be eroded or compulsorily acquired as a result of the plan;
■ Commonwealth funding associated with the states’ costs in implementing the basin plan;
■ Commonwealth funding to address the socio-economic impacts on basin communities that have to adjust to a future under less water for food and fibre production;
■ Collaboration to manage environmental water as well as ways to ensure that the rights associated with entitlements for environmental use will not be diminished over time.
■ Joint government arrangements to support the SDL adjustment mechanism.
The ministers said they ‘‘acknowledged the constructive role played by industry and environmental organisations, local government and the wider community in the process of developing the basin plan’’.
National Irrigators Council chief executive Tom Chesson conceded on Friday that now the basin plan had been accepted it was likely to drop off the radar.
‘‘With the media and political attention already waning, it will become increasingly difficult for community concerns with the implementation of the basin plan to be heard and acted upon,’’ Mr Chesson said.
He believes the Ministerial Council should canvas whether Murray-Darling Basin Authority is delivering services as efficiently as possible and whether some of its functions can be contracted out.
‘‘Scientists don’t come cheap and taxpayers should brace themselves because there are still plenty of ‘known unknowns’ in the basin plan,’’ he said.
‘‘For example just metering and monitoring the use of environmental water to ensure that the billions of dollars of taxpayers’ funds invested in the basin plan are not being wasted will cost millions of dollars per annum.
‘‘We do not want to be in a situation where governments are announcing another ‘historic’ reform of the MDB in a few years’ time because the implementation of this ‘historic’ basin plan was illthought out and under-resourced,’’ he said.
‘‘It is imperative that we get it right now.’’

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