Tell Labor: we need a strong plan for rivers!

Dear government Senators and Minister Plibersek,

The Murray-Darling is Australia’s biggest and most important river system and restoring it to health is critical. I am writing to you as one of thousands of people who want Labor to live up to its election promise to return water to the river urgently. We include farmers, graziers, fishers, Traditional Owners and conservationists from across the Basin who support voluntary water buybacks. You can read more of our stories at www.standbyyourriver.org.au

[your personal message will go here]

At the last election, Labor promised to restore the river system to health, including delivering the 450 GL of water for the environment and “increasing First Nations ownership of water entitlements and participation in decision making”.

After ten years of mismanagement and stalled progress under the Liberal-National coalition, the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023 currently before the Senate provides much needed progress.

But as our rivers continue to suffer from over-extraction and a hotter, drier climate, the Bill needs to go further to meet Labor’s election commitments. We’re calling on government Senators to strengthen the bill with:

• legally binding guarantees to deliver the 450 GL of water for the environment
• additional water for the Darling-Baaka to prevent catastrophic fish kills
• recognising and delivering First Nations water rights, including by implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

As Minister Plibersek mentioned in her speech introducing this Bill to Parliament: “We don’t want to wake up one day to a dead river system and realise that we could have done something to stop it.”

Now is the time to seize this opportunity and provide a lifeline to rivers and water justice to First Nations, delivering on Labor’s election promises.

Sincerely

[your name], [postcode]