Stop sabotaging the health of our rivers

1,204 signatures of 5000

Add your message for Federal Water Minister Keith Pitt, calling on him to stand up to vested interests, stop bleeding our rivers dry and deliver the Basin Plan in full.

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Add a brief personal message about why you want to see our rivers protected (this will be included with our petition message. Click below to read the whole letter)

Read Our Petition Message

Dear Minister Pitt,

For decades, too much water has been taken from the Murray-Darling Basin. Now, our precious river system is on the brink of collapse.

This is the crisis the Basin Plan was meant to fix. The state and federal governments agreed to a framework that would revive our rivers by leaving enough water for unique plants and wildlife to survive. Then-Prime Minister John Howard declared it would “end over-extraction once and for all.” But this has been undermined by your government at every turn.

After years of corruption, maladministration and mismanagement, our rivers need the full implementation of the Basin Plan. To deliver the Plan, it is essential that you:

Restore natural flows: River ecosystems cannot simply be re-engineered to survive on less water. It is critical that the Federal Government shifts focus, pushing the states to remove the physical and regulatory constraints that prevent environmental flows from reaching key wetlands. This is essential for delivering ecological outcomes and nearly 10 times cheaper than scientifically dubious wetland engineering proposals.
Invest in regional communities: Ensuring the survival of the rivers in the Murray-Darling Basin is critical and this is the sole priority of the Water Act. The Government’s own socio-economic reporting indicates that river recovery and supporting jobs and incomes in the Basin are more efficiently and equitably addressed through distinct policies.
Buy back more water: The 2019 targets for water recovery have not yet been met and the full 3200 GL Basin Plan is hopelessly off track. There is no evidence that the Federal Government’s current approach in utilising off-farm efficiency projects can deliver more than 15% of this already inadequate target. Directly compensating irrigators is the most efficient and cost-effective option available.
Deliver funding for First Nations: it is critical that all dedicated funding for First Nations rights to water is delivered to meet the priorities of First Nations as intended. First Nations water governance and water access is the only way to protect the cultural values of the river.

The survival of the Murray-Darling Basin depends on these actions.

The Murray-Darling river system is the lifeblood of Australia’s regional communities and environment. But after decades of mismanagement and exploitation, it’s on the brink of collapse.

Our governments have let too much water be taken out of the river system – in too many places at once. Our wetlands, birdlife and fish are suffering, while whole towns run dry.

This is exactly the crisis the Basin Plan was meant to fix.

But the Federal Coalition government has repeatedly sabotaged the plan – doing the bidding of a handful of cashed-up corporate irrigators instead of what’s needed to actually restore our rivers back to health.

They’re trying to “re-engineer” a few chosen wetlands to artificially survive with less water, while letting the rest die. And are wasting public money on dodgy infrastructure projects that might not even help more water flow to the sections of the Basin that need it!

Evidence shows the most effective way to return enough water to the environment is buying it back from irrigators. But our federal government has ruled this out.

While recent rains have brought some relief to struggling communities and wetlands, unless we fix the core problem of taking too much from the river, this won’t last.

We cannot let our government get away with destroying the only plan we have to revive our rivers. Send a message to Federal Water Minister Keith Pitt, calling on him to stop sabotaging the Basin Plan and deliver the water our environment needs to survive.

It’s time for everyone who cares about our rivers to come together.

Let’s keep the pressure on our government to finish what they started, because a healthy river system is meant to support us all – not just those with the deepest pockets or powerful connections.

Image credit: Jaana Dielenberg