MDBA asked to clarify its environmental agenda

The announcement by the chairman of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, Mike Taylor, that the Federal Government’s Basin Plan will prioritise provision of water to selected environmental sites above other uses, requires clarification, according to environmental and public water rights advocacy group Fair Water Use (Australia).

“It is encouraging to note that the MDBA is acknowledging the importance of placing the environment first”, the group’s national coordinator, Ian Douglas, responded today.

He continued, “It is essential that the MDBA provides full details of its intentions. Although a laudable aim in itself, sadly the salvage of a few high-profile wetlands will do little to improve the overall condition of the river system and its ability to provide the Basin-wide ecological services upon which its communities and agriculture depend.”

“Mr Taylor has stated that the MDBA has been directed to first deal with issues related to the environment. If the Authority is committed to this outcome, it must undertake to receive truly independent and annually updated advice on the inflows that are required to restore and maintain the health of the rivers and then ensure that this water is allowed to flow into and through the system”, Dr Douglas added.

He concluded, “Fair Water Use seeks confirmation from Mr Taylor that the actions of the MDBA will allow meaningful volumes of water to flush down the rivers and out the Murray mouth, as anything less will only lead to continuing degradation of the Murray-Darling Basin. If Mr Taylor cannot give this commitment, it is yet further evidence of the need to declare a State of Emergency with respect to the Basin”.

PM RISKS ACCUSATIONS OF “POLICY DROUGHT” IN COPENHAGEN

National environmental and water right advocacy group Fair Water Use (Australia) has responded to the statement issued by the Federal Minister for Climate Change and Water, following release of the latest Drought Update by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority:

“The Federal Water Minister is now using the crisis in the Murray-Darling to push the weak CPRS that the Prime Minister wishes to parade in Copenhagen.

Whilst climate change is indeed impacting on the Murray-Darling, the Rudd Government can be quite justifiably accused of policy drought and dereliction of duty in implying that Australians must largely rely on the Commonwealth’s “Water For the Future” plan to address the worsening situation in the Basin. This initiative will deliver too little, far too late.

Fair Water Use repeats its call for the Prime Minister to declare of a State of Emergency in the Murray-Darling Basin, prior to leaving on his Scandinavian trip, to enable the Federal Government to remove the Basin States and the ACT from the broken chain of command and to revise management priorities, placing the environmental health of the river system, security of public water supply and the essential needs of the domestic market above those of other vested interests.

Such decisive action would also improve Mr Rudd’s credibility on environmental issues in time for the Copenhagen summit.”

Contact:

Ian Douglas

(National Coordinator)

+61 (0)416-022178

Authorised by:

Ginny Brown

Media Coordinator

media@fairwateruse.com.au

“Baked Australia”

Whilst Australian Governments persist with their free-market driven water-reform process, the international experience is that such strategies are ineffective and have resulted in the current water crisis in the State of California, which is now implementing emergency measures to address the devastating consequences of massive over-exploitation of its water resources. International experts continue to urge the Australian Government to change tack on water management.

Prestigious publication The Scientific American is now adding its weight to the increasing body of opinion calling for a total rethink of water policy in Australia: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=australia-water-management .

United Nations’ senior advisor on water issues, Maude Barlow, has contacted Fair Water Use in response to the speech to the South Australian Press Club delivered earlier this week by Federal Water Minister, Penny Wong, stating that the Minister “shows an astonishing lack of understanding about the root causes of the crisis in the Murray Darling and the need above all for conservation and watershed restoration. Pushing for a more aggressive market solution to the crisis is exactly the worst path the Minister and her government could have taken. What is needed is for Australia’s water to be declared a public trust and protected for all time for all Australians the ecosystem and the future”.

 

Coordinator of Fair Water Use, Ian Douglas, commented today, “There is irrefutable evidence of the collapse of national and regional water reserves that is a sequel to short-sighted administrations leaving water management in the hands of the open-market.”

He added, “The Commonwealth cannot continue to ignore such warnings and can no longer afford to delay making fundamental changes to its water policy.”

“The federal electorate is now aware that Australia’s water future is in the hands of the Rudd Government. The Prime Minister must respond in a similar fashion to the Governor of California and declare a State of Emergency in the Murray-Darling Basin, to allow him to implement the necessary changes to its governance and administration”,  Dr Douglas concluded.

Contact:

Ian Douglas

(National Coordinator)

+61 (0)416-022178

 

Authorised by:

Ginny Brown

Media Coordinator

media@fairwateruse.com.au

IRRIGATORS’ COURT ACTION: PITCH YOUR TENT MINISTER

Confirmation that irrigation group, Murray Valley United, is proceeding with its Federal Court claim, seeking damages arising from the misguided water reform policies of the Federal Government, came on the same day as the Federal Water Minister stated that the Commonwealth could get the action it needed on the Murray-Darling “without setting up camp in the courts”.

Far from being the visionary statement so urgently required, the Minister’s speech to the South Australian Press Club yesterday was a compromised, vote-buying exercise; a sad continuation of the ugly blame-game which has impeded meaningful progress on the water crisis. Moreover, in the course of her presentation, Senator Wong confirmed that to date only one State has signed up to a Water Management Partnership Agreement, integral to the Commonwealth’s much-criticised National Water Plan.

 

The Minister continued to ignore the ever-louder calls for a complete Commonwealth takeover of the governance of the Murray-Darling Basin and for the appointment of a suitably empowered and independent management entity: a body which understands that only a healthy river system can provide the ecological services essential to Basin communities and the millions of Australians who depend on its water and produce, and prioritises security of environmental flows and public water supply.

As long as Minister Wong fails to take these long-overdue actions, she will face an increasing number of actions – of the legal variety – coming at her from communities, special interest groups and State Governments; and her Party must prepare for a severe backlash at upcoming State and Federal ballots.

Contact:

Ian Douglas

(National Coordinator)

+61 (0)416-022178

 

Authorised by:

Ginny Brown

Media Coordinator

media@fairwateruse.com.au

 

Failed governance and the demise of the Darling

Latest data from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and the Bureau of Meteorology continue to refute the statement by Queensland Cotton CEO, Richard Haire, that “if you look at the problem in the Murray-Darling Basin, the problem systems aren’t the Darling-based systems; the problem systems are the Murray-based systems”.

Despite average to well-above-average rainfall in much of the Darling catchment in recent years, in contrast to the seriously drought-affected Murray catchment, storage levels in the Menindee Lakes are now at an all time seasonal low of 12%, whereas even the Hume reservoir is now at 39% capacity after winter rains in the southern part of the Basin.

It is apparent that Queensland Cotton and other profligate water users in the upper Darling are still in denial of the fact that they are largely responsible for the continuing lamentable condition of the river and the critical depletion of its groundwater reserves, to the point where the system has no ability to resist the effect of their activities and the river is essentially a chain of stagnant pools.

Earlier this month, the National Water Commission last week roundly criticised all Basin States and the ACT for their failure to work together to improve water management in the Basin.

Australia is still waiting for the Commonwealth to assume total responsibility for governance of the Murray-Darling Basin in-line with its stated commitment to the environment – a major factor in its success at the last federal election.

Water Action Coalition – Call to action

This is a special notice to Water Action Coalition supporters to let you know about the WAC rally planned for Saturday 10^th October 2009. With a state election only a few months away the rally seeks to let the politicians and media know that the community is fed up with current water policy & management in South Australia. We demand to be heard and we demand policy change. We have had enough of the disastrous management of our water, our rights in South Australia which is having devastating consequences on our place, our communities and our quality of life. Water is a public trust connected to everything, itself, our ecosystems, our societies and our economies and should not be owned and privatised.

This is a WAC “Call For Action” Rally that culminates on the steps of Parliament House North Terrace involving 10 to 12  community groups from around the state to tell their stories and to collectively demand both Local, State and Federal Governments take action. There is a sense of urgency to immediately establish a National Commission to coordinate a State of Emergency in the Murray-Darling Basin and to establish a complementing National Public Commission of Inquiry into water management, conservation, recycling and sharing of all water resources. There is a sense of urgency needed to save Adelaide Coastal Waters, Upper Spencer Gulf, The Murray and Lower Lakes.

The Rally is planned to start at 12 PM, take approximately one hour and feature media personalities and community leaders. Representatives from WAC community groups will be interviewed to tell their stories to the public of South Australia and consequences of current government policies. The rally will feature theatre and music. Politicians will be invited to respond. There will be a Message of Hope and a Rally Proclamation of what needs to be done by WAC.

This Rally can not be a success without your support and the WAC organising committee requests an indication of how you can help? i.e. helping with promotion and publicity to your members, subscribers & public. Help with donations to cover the costs of staging the rally. Please also let us know if your group plans to attend the rally, likely numbers, how you plan to arrive and if you wish to be acknowledged on the day. Now is the time to start to organise your action and banners.

The Rally Convenor is Jim Douglas and he can be contacted jdouglas@picknowl.com.au or Mob 0417 875 232 or alternatively contact the WAC Convenor John Caldecott (details below).

The WAC Rally E-mail message below may be cut and pasted into your E-mails news bulletins and a copy of a Colour A4 version and A5 B&W poster are attached for your use and distribution on your websites or notice boards. Other variants such as an A3 Colour Poster and A4 B&W Poster will be available from the WAC Events website for your use. The Charter, Call to Action and Brochure can all be downloaded from Water Action Coalition. If you wish to be publicly acknowledged as a supporter of WAC and you are not already please contact the Convenor.

—————————————————————-

Rally to demand action

Steps of Parliament House

Saturday, 10th October 2009, 12 Noon

All members of the public, community and environmental groups welcomed

OUR WATER OUR RIGHTS

OPPOSE

Water Privatisation, Dams and Desalination

DEMAND

Water Conservation, Stormwater, Wastewater Recycling and Fair Share of Water from Murray-Darling Basin

More Information

Google “Water Action Coalition”

Posters can be downloaded from Our Water Our Rights website

——————————————-

Prepared on behalf of Water Action Coalition
John Caldecott

Convenor
Mob 0427 976 503 E-mail jec@ciq.com.au

UNITED WATER ON THE NOSE – AND OUT OF TIME

JOINT OPEN LETTER TO THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN PREMIER

Three of Australia’s largest water advocacy groups today applauded the South Australian Government for not ruling out removing control of Adelaide’s water supply from the private sector.

In a joint communiqué (attached) from the Australian Water Network, Fair Water Use (Australia) and South Australian umbrella group the Water Action Coalition, Mr Rann was encouraged to openly oppose the privatisation of water, including that of the Murray-Darling, and allow South Australians to voice their opinion via the ballot box next year.

Spokesman, Dr Ian Douglas, stated this morning, “South Australians now have the opportunity to be the first electorate to require that our dwindling water resources are protected from open-market profiteering and are protected as a public good.”

Contacts:

John Caldecott

Convenor

Water Action Coalition

Tel: 0427-976503

Ian Douglas

Coordinator

Fair Water Use (Australia)

Tel: 0416-022178

Authorised by:

Ginny Brown

Media Coordinator

media@fairwateruse.com.au

PM urged to take acting lessons from Californian Governor

Comparison of the water crises currently gripping California and the Murray-Darling Basin reveals stark similarities in their causes and effects, but a glaring contrast in the willingness of those in high office to act appropriately, according to Australia’s largest public water rights advocacy group.

Fair Water Use (Australia) has scrutinised the Proclamation of a State of Emergency, issued earlier this year by Californian Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in response to the Californian crisis and has defined that many of the parameters which were sufficient to cause the Californian administration to act are exceeded in severity and duration by those which apply in the Murray-Darling Basin.

“More and more Australians are stunned by apparent inability of the Commonwealth Government to take meaningful action on this issue,” national coordinator of Fair Water Use, Ian Douglas, said earlier today.

Dr Douglas added, “We have provided the Prime Minister with a draft proclamation, incorporating the concerns which were sufficient for the State of California to apply the necessary, urgent measures and comparing them directly to those which apply in the Basin.”

Fair Water Use hopes that this will convince Mr Rudd that the plight of the Murray-Darling is at least as grave as its Californian counterpart, requiring Canberra to make similarly decisive moves.

“We are urging the Prime-Minister to follow Governor Schwarzenegger’s lead by acting appropriately,” Dr Douglas concluded.

Contact:

Ian Douglas

(National Coordinator)

+61 (0)416-022178

Cut the crop please Minister

Today’s announcement that Cubbie Station is on the market came as no surprise to anyone who has been keeping track of the rise and fall of this environmentally destructive white elephant.

Fair Water Use encourages the Federal Government to become actively involved in negotiations surrounding the purchase of Cubbie, ensuring that any other potential purchasers are fully aware of the dodgy nature of the water “entitlements” that previously enabled its cultivation of inappropriate, water-intensive crops, but still failed to save it in the current drought.

Cubbie and several other large water-hoarding entities have taken full advantage of the highly-questionable and totally unsustainable water-allocation policies of the Queensland Government.

Senator Wong, who has been given the task of overseeing Australia’s water future, is on record as stating today: “As I understand it, the land and water entitlements for Cubbie are not separated, so that would create some problems in terms of purchasing water from Cubbie until those two entitlements are in fact separated.”

The senator’s apparent inability to override the actions of the Queensland Government on this vital issue is totally unacceptable and yet another demonstration of the chaos that exists, and will continue to prevail, as long as Basin States are involved in the governance and administration of the Murray-Darling, failing to put the overall health of the nation’s bread-basket ahead of their conflicting, politically-driven interests.

Any prospective purchasers of Cubbie Station must be made aware that the absurd and environmentally-destructive water entitlements currently associated with the property are as insecure as the credibility of those who granted them.

Fair Water Use repeats its call for an urgent Federal take-over of the management of the Murray-Darling Basin.

Contact:

Ian Douglas

(National Coordinator)

+61 (0)416-022178

Authorised by:

Ginny Brown

Media Coordinator

media@fairwateruse.com.au

MDBA Community Committee: which community does it represent?

Yesterday’s inaugural meeting of the Basin Community Committee, established by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, would not have been greeted with much enthusiasm by the majority of the community which it seeks to represent, according to national coordinator of Fair Water Use (Australia), Ian Douglas.

Dr Douglas stated this morning that, “the credibility of this committee is seriously compromised from the outset, as its sixteen-strong membership includes at least four individuals with a clear connection to the broad-acre irrigation of inappropriate, water-hungry crops, the very agricultural activity that has had a profoundly negative impact on the health of the Basin and thereby the welfare of its communities.”

He continued, “It is of concern to Fair Water Use that the resume of Guy Roth, published in yesterday’s media release from the MDBA, described him as an agricultural and resource specialist and made no mention of the fact that until recently, Mr Roth held the post of CEO of the Australian Cotton CRC, a group whose stated mission is to “undertake collaborative research, education and commercialisation activities to provide innovative knowledge that is adopted for the benefit of the Australian Cotton Industry”.”

“As the prime role of the committee is to gather information on the Basin Plan, especially the community response to its components, it is essential that the community is fully aware of the background of committee members”, Dr Douglas added.

Noting that committee members also include the current president of the Ricegrowers Association and the CEO of a large, privately-owned water provider, Dr Douglas added, “Fair Water Use is highly critical of the fact that the interests of all other sectors, including sustainable dry-land farming, tourism, conservation, indigenous and social concerns and the increasing percentage of the community who wish the nation’s water to be held in public trust and not privatised by stealth, must hope to be effectively represented by only eleven of the sixteen seats on the committee.”

Dr Douglas concluded, “It is entirely unacceptable that individuals who stand to benefit directly from the de-facto privatisation of Murray-Darling water hold at least one quarter of the seats on a committee that purports to be fully representative of the wide range of interests and activities severely affected by the Murray-Darling crisis.”

Fair Water Use repeats its call, now echoed by the United Nations’ senior adviser on water issues and an increasing number of groups and individuals concerned about Australia’s water future, for the Federal Government to declare a State of Emergency and establish a Royal Commission of Enquiry into the governance and management of the Basin. It awaits a response from the Prime Minister or Minister Wong.

Contact:

Ian Douglas

(National Coordinator)

+61 (0)416-022178

Authorised by:

Ginny Brown

Media Coordinator

media@fairwateruse.com.au