Local Mitcham district residents today take their request that the state government ramp up action to protect Melbourne’s water supply to the office of their local member of parliament, Tony Robinson.
“We’ve all been by taking shorter showers, installing tanks, using a bucket to wash the car, but the Brumby state government is not taking the most important water saving actions”, said local resident Brigid Walsh.
“Instead of building expensive and polluting desalination plants and pipelines, they should be protecting our forests and rivers – the source of Melbourne’s good, clean water.”
For ten years the state government has failed to prioritise protecting Melbourne’s water supply. Woodchipping is still allowed in Melbourne’s water catchments, reducing the inflows to dams by 50 per cent. And Victoria’s rivers are dying, because far too much water is still taken out of them: most rivers have less than 10 per cent of their average annual flow.
“If the state government is serious about making sure there’s enough water for homes, for our wildlife and for our farms, then they should stop allowing water catchments to be logged”, said The Wilderness Society spokesperson, Jacquie Kelly.
“While Mitcham district residents have done well to save water, the state government has been building expensive water projects that won’t secure a safe water future”, said Environment Victoria spokesperson, Amelia Young. “Mitcham residents are asking for a better deal – they want their water-saving efforts reflected in state government policies for rivers and forests. Minister Robinson should urgently convey this community expectation to his state government.”
“The state government is telling us to save water. We’re doing that. We now say it’s time for them to do it themselves by protecting our forests and rivers”, concluded local resident Brigid Walsh.
Photo Opportunity: 9:45am, outside Minister Tony Robinson’s electoral office, 9 Blackburn Road, Blackburn.
For further comment
Healthy Rivers Campaigner, Amelia Young on 0404 074 577