News | 18th Jul, 2012

Basin plan falls short

18 July 2012
Lyndal Reading, Weekly Times

The Murray Darling Basin Plan still doesn't go far enough, despite states inching closer to agreement, according to environment groups.

The Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists and Environment Victoria has criticised the plan for spending almost $9 billion while achieving less than half of the environmental targets.

Wentworth Group environmental engineer Tim Stubbs said that according to the CSIRO, the proposed 2750GL to be recovered for the basin would not achieve half the environmental targets.

"The (Murray Darling Basin) Authority's role is to state what is needed for the targets then for Parliament to take into account the irrigators and the community," Mr Stubbs said.

"The targets we are talking about are very modest. If we're not even achieving half the targets then why spend $8.9 billion?"

Environment Victoria healthy rivers campaigner Juliet Le Feuvre said the 2100GL recovery target proposed by the Victorian Government simply wasn't enough.

"We are still not getting where we want to be, which is a healthy river system," Ms Le Feuvre said.

"Environmental works and measures, such as pumps, are good in a dry year, but it can't deliver what the river needs, which is connectivity."

Friends of the Earth campaigns coordinator Cam Walker said it was disgraceful Australia would consider a plan that risks so many Ramsar-listed wetlands.

 

Read our latest media release on the Murray-Darling Basin Plan