St George floods: Senator Joyce should address causes – not symptoms

The continuing campaign, by Federal Opposition Senator Barnaby Joyce, to dam the Balonne River, ostensibly to mitigate the impact of flooding around St George, has been criticised by environmental and public water-rights advocacy group, Fair Water Use (Australia).

Coordinator of Fair Water Use, Ian Douglas, responded today, “If the Senator is genuine in his desire to reduce  flooding, he should first call for the demolition of inappropriately sited and unregulated levees, constructed by irrigating agribusinesses in the Darling catchment, including one seven metres high which runs for many kilometres next to the Balonne on the cotton property of Cayman Islands-based Eastern Australia Agriculture, just downstream from St George.”

“We would also like Senator Joyce to comment on the impact of landscape-scale bulldozing of native ground cover and natural land features, during the construction of cotton farms and other broad-acre irrigation enterprises, which has effectively removed the natural barriers to surface-water flows in the upper Darling catchment, especially in the St George area”, he added.

“Damming the Balonne would certainly increase water holdings, to the likely benefit of local irrigating agribusinesses, leading to further degradation of the Darling river system during non-flood periods”, Dr Douglas concluded.

Authorised by:
Ginny Brown
Media Coordinator
media@fairwateruse.com.au

Fair Water Use (Australia)
+61 (0)8 8398 0812
PO Box 384, Balhannah, South Australia 5242
www.fairwateruse.com.au <mailto:admin@fairwateruse.com.au

Murray-Darling Basin Authority now a one man show?

The reported comment by new Chair of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, Craig Knowles, that he has “washed his hands of the old Basin Plan”, further promotes the impression that Mr Knowles is single-handedly revising the mission of the Authority, according to Fair Water Use (Australia).

Following the resignation of Dr Diana Day, shortly after the appointment of Mr Knowles, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority currently comprises five members. Fair Water Use has contacted Mr Knowles to ascertain whether his reported comments reflect the stance of the Authority – or merely his personal position on the issue.

Fair Water Use believes that it is highly inappropriate for a senior public servant to summarily dismiss a major document which is currently the subject of a comprehensive Senate Inquiry.

National coordinator of Fair Water Use, Ian Douglas, commented today, “Sadly, it appears necessary to remind Mr Knowles that the principal aim of the Authority is “to manage the Basin’s water resources in the national interest”, and not to act as an advocate for any particular group of stakeholders”.
Authorised by:

Ginny Brown (Media Coordinator)
media@fairwateruse.com.au
+61 (0)8 8398 0812 /(0)4 1602 2178

NFF STATEMENT – “POLICY BLANCMANGE”

The statement from the newly appointed CEO of the National Farmers Federation and former executive director of Ricegrowers Australia, Matt Linnegar, that the Murray-Darling Basin Plan should deliver a balance between the environment, the economy and Basin communities, sadly adds the NFF to the list of groups and political parties proffering this misleading policy blancmange, apparently prefaced on the fallacy that environmental stewardship poses a threat to the future of Basin communities.

National coordinator of Fair Water Use, Ian Douglas, commented today, “It is particularly disappointing that, whereas the majority of today’s schoolchildren understand that only a healthy environment can sustain us in the long term, a peak body such as the NFF seems ignorant of or chooses to ignore the fact.”

“If the Basin Plan is not founded on such a principle, it will fail to turn around the degradation of Basin ecosystems as a result of endemic overexploitation – and regional communities will also continue to decay”, he added.

Dr Douglas concluded, “It appears that those pushing the “balanced-approach” wheelbarrow are motivated by vested interest – be it pure political opportunism or a misguided attempt to minimise short term impacts on the irrigation sector by adulteration of the Basin Plan – and not by a genuine intent to do what is best for the longterm future of regional communities or the country as a whole”.

Authorised by:

Kate McLeod (Campaign Coordinator)
campaign@fairwateruse.com.au
+61 (0)8 8398 0812

Draft Water Industry Bill (2010)

1. Draft Water Industry Bill (2010) gives SA independent water pricing

24 November 2010

“South Australians will have independent water pricing for the first time as part of the biggest overhaul of water industry legislation in the state’s history. Minister for Water Paul Caica said the draft Water Industry Bill tabled in State Parliament today, will promote greater efficiency, competition and innovation in South Australia’s water industry.”

http://www.waterforgood.sa.gov.au/2010/11/draft-water-industry-bill-gives-sa-independent-water-pricing/

1.2 Water Industry Bill (2010)

“One of the actions of the Water for Good plan is the introduction of a single, over-arching Water Industry Act, in 2010. On 9 November 2009 the South Australian Government released a discussion paper about the proposed Act. The submissions received informed the drafting of a proposed Water Industry Bill. This Bill is now being provided for public consultation.”

http://www.waterforgood.sa.gov.au/water-planning/consultation/current-consultation/water-industry-act-2/

1.3 Workshop on the Draft Water Industry Bill (2010)

Friday 17^th December 11.45 AM to 2 PM (light lunch provided)

SA Water Learning Centre, 250 Victoria Square (no charge)

RSVP 10^th December to Melanie Winter @ admin@waterindustry.com.au

2. Water Industry Act (Draft 2009) – submissions

The Office for Water Security appreciates the time and effort of respondents who provided comments. The information the Office for Water Security received as a part of this process will assist us in developing the Water Industry Act, due to be introduced in 2010.

Submissions received by 31 December 2009

http://www.waterforgood.sa.gov.au/water-planning/consultation/water-industry-act-submissions/

3. Is Water Reform on Track? Market Solution Forum

Water Industry Alliance 14^th December

Topic: Do you have a view on the Murray Darling Basin guide to the draft plan, maybe a solution they need to know about? Then please join Rob Freeman, CEO of the Murray Darling Basin Authority at our next Market Solution Forum. The forum will also include a briefing from SA Government on the draft South Australian Water Bill that is intended to encourage competition and innovation. Speakers include Professor Mike Young, University of Adelaide, Judith Bradsen, Partner at Minter Ellison Lawyers and Tom Rooney, CEO Waterfind.

http://www.waterindustry.com.au/

News Email prepared by:

John Caldecott

Convenor

Water Action Coalition

Mob 0427 976 503

Resignation of MDBA Chair: that left unsaid speaks volumes

The resignation of MDBA Chair, Michael Taylor, is a clear symptom of the utter frustration permeating the Authority as a result of attempts by vested interests to sabotage the Basin Plan and an apparent unwillingness of the Commonwealth to allow the Authority to perform its vital task free from political pressures.

Mr Taylor also indicates that the Authority has received further legal advice that it is unable alter its recommendations with respect to the volumes of water required to restore the environment of the Murray-Darling River system. That should come as no surprise, as the stated role of the MDBA is to manage the Basin’s water resources in the national interest, not in such a way as to placate those who would prefer to continue business as usual.

National coordinator of Fair Water Use, Dr Ian Douglas, responded to the news of Mr Taylor’s resignation saying, “The Commonwealth and particularly Minister Burke should be roundly criticised for attempting to add responsibility for economic and social management of the Basin to the brief of the Authority”.

He added, “The stunts of renegade groups of irrigators, including the burning of the Guide and the establishment of the faux MDBA website, are now seen for what they are: knee-jerk attempts to discredit the messenger, stemming from an unwillingness to accept the long-term implications of an over-exploited and degraded river system”.

As intimated by Mr Taylor, irrespective of the content of the final Basin Plan produced by the Authority, the survival of the river system will hinge on whether the Commonwealth and Basin state governments are genuine in their stated desire to restore the nation’s most vital rivers, or whether, as now appears all-too-likely, they will squib the issue for short term electoral gain.

BASIN PLAN MUST NOT BECOME A POLITICAL FOOTBALL

National public water rights and environmental advocacy group Fair Water Use is encouraged by the broad recommendations made in the guide to the draft Basin Plan released earlier today by the Murray Darling Basin Authority, but is concerned that Federal and State parliamentarians will use the forthcoming consultation period to justify softening of the Plan for short term electoral advantage, rather than to promote the long term interests of the river system and its communities.

The group’s national coordinator, Ian Douglas, commented this afternoon, “The progressive degradation of the Murray-Darling cannot be resolved without significant impact upon those who were previously encouraged by successive governments to overexploit the waters of the nation’s most vital rivers.”

Fair Water Use believes that Australian governments must shoulder much of the blame for the crisis, as a result of a raft of inept policies, including the hyper-allocation of Murray-Darling water, the COAG decision of 1994 to develop a national “water industry” and the promotion of agribusiness-based managed investment schemes.

“Basin communities have themselves been exploited by Federal and State administrations and the pro-market lobby and have every right to feel aggrieved”, Dr Douglas added.

A politically fudged and compromised Basin Plan will be no friend to those who seek to make responsible use of Murray-Darling water. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority must be allowed to develop its Basin Plan free from pressure from those who fail to grasp, or choose to ignore, the profound, long term, economic, social and environmental implications of a degraded Murray-Darling river system.

“Governments must now devise concerted regional development initiatives, to enable Basin communities to transition to a sustainable future,” Dr Douglas concluded

The future of the Murray-Darling compromised by market imperatives

Today’s announcement, that the Federal Government has again rejected an offer to purchase water entitlements from irrigators in the Wimmera irrigation district, this time at a price almost one third less than previously offered, is an inevitable consequence of the inherently volatile water market which successive Australian governments have sought to establish, according to public water rights and environmental advocacy group, Fair Water Use.
In response to comments from Tony Burke, Federal Minister with responsibility for water, the coordinator of Fair Water Use, Ian Douglas, said that the decision came as no surprise, given the current open-market approach to water resource management in this country; a policy which is being increasingly rejected by overseas legislatures.

As heralded by the Chairman of the Wimmera Irrigators Association, Dale Frankel, the Government rejection on top of recent rains will understandably tempt many irrigators who have been living on the edge to make full use of all available water, to help pay off farm debt and generate income for the first time in several years.
The temporary revival of irrigation in such districts will do little to improve the longterm outlook for communities in these areas and will achieve nothing in terms of promoting the sustainability of the Murray-Darling Basin.

The unpredictability of the water market poses a direct threat to the health of rivers upon which many millions of Australians depend. If the Federal Government is sincere in its support for the phasing out of inappropriate irrigation to enable the long term survival of the Murray-Darling river system, it cannot rely on the market to achieve this outcome and must be prepared to pay ethically reasonable rather than current market prices to enable it to do so.

Moreover, such transactions should be viewed as compensation rather than purchase, as private ownership of water is a concept which no Australian government has yet received an electoral mandate to pursue.

Dr Douglas stated that market imperatives were likely to compromise the role of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and its long-awaited Basin Plan.

There is an increasing perception that current water policy may be inconsistent with the intent of Section 100 of the Australian Constitution and that it is therefore inappropriate to continue the process of water reform until this issue is determined.

The South Australian ecosystem under threat:

Ethics Centre of South Australia

The South Australian ecosystem under threat:

Ethical issues in South Australia’s approach to marine conservation.

What is going wrong?

Presented by Associate Professor Jochen Kaempf, Flinders University

Tuesday 12th October 2010 (3.30 pm to 5.00 pm)

Large-scale industrial developments in South Australia including the proposed Olympic Dam expansion, seawater desalination, and oil exploration in the eastern Great Australian Bight pose big threats to the health of the environment. Apparently, all these projects must follow a certain procedure which usually includes the preparation of a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Most partners involved in the process would claim that the procedure is adequate and world class, that it involves input by “independent”scientists, and that state-of-the-art monitoring systems are in place.

However, something must be wrong here!

How can the release of oil exploration sites in the heart of the South Australian Coastal Upwelling System be justified? How can the proposed discharge of toxic desalination brine in Upper Spencer Gulf within 600m of the breeding habitat of the unique and iconic Giant Australian Cuttlefish be justified? Apart from showcasing scientific evidence highlighting the significance of key South Australian marine regions, the speaker will discuss a number of flaws inherent in the procedure.

About the speaker:

Assoc Prof Kaempf was born in West Berlin, Germany, 1966. He completed his PhD in Natural Sciences (Physical Oceanography) at Hamburg University, Germany and has been a researcher at Flinders University since 1999. Assoc Prof Kaempf recently published two textbooks on ocean modelling by Springer, New York. He is involved in the Adelaide Coastal Water Study and is among the first scientists reporting on the South Australian Coastal Upwelling System in an international scientific journal.

Venue: Scots Centre, Corner Pulteney Street and North Terrace Adelaide

RSVP: Vicki Hattam by 11^th October 2010, vicki.hattam@unisa.edu.au

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Australian Marine Sciences Association (SA Branch) – Annual Symposium

SA Marine Biodiversity, Biogeography, Taxonomy & Management

Wednesday 20^th October 2010 (9 am – 5 pm)

Venue: Lecture Theatre & Conference Room, SARDI Aquatic Sciences, 2 Hamra Avenue, West Beach

For Further Information: AMSA-SA, sa.amsa@gmail.com and Ph (08) 8207 5407

Water quality – why it matters!

A reminder that our next forum is approaching fast, and we need to know who is coming!

To RSVP, reply to this email with your contact details or email bybeach@adam.com.au.

Italy shows Australia the way on water reform

Recent legislation to privatise water services in Italy has met with staunch public resistance and a well-organised national campaign, resulting in the tabling of a petition of around 1.5 million signatures from citizens opposed to this legislation – three times as many as are required to call a referendum on the issue.
Paolo Carsetti of the Forum Italiano dei Movimenti per l’Acqua has pointed out that even the City of Paris has removed control of water supply from the private sector, “when Paris had been the heart of the empire of water multinationals such as Suez and Veolia.”
Citing the Australian activities of these and other off-shore companies such as Olam International, Summit Global, The Guinness-Peat Group, Ecofin and Water Asset Management, Ian Douglas, coordinator of public water rights and environmental advocacy group, Fair Water Use, indicated today, “Unlike the Italian scenario, in Australia the process of water privatisation has been one of stealth. The vast majority of Australians are unaware that, as a direct result of the so-called “water-reform” policies of successive state and federal governments, Australia is handing control of its water resources, and the uses to which its water is put, to private entities whose only interest is maximising the financial returns of their shareholders.”
“Having dragged the issue into the open, Fair Water Use will do all possible to ensure that it remains in the public arena and will continue its campaign to let the people of Australia decide their water future: not inept administrations or self-serving speculators”, he continued.
Dr Douglas concluded, “The Italian public will now have the opportunity to voice its opinion on water privatisation via national plebiscite: Australians deserve the right to do the same”.