In addition to current news items from Fair Water Use which appear below, a wide range of our previous articles on the Murray-Darling crisis can be viewed via the subheadings of the News tab on the side-menu.

30th June 2010

The Liverpool Plains is an extremely important foodbowl of Australia - reliably producing crops yielding 40% above the national average.  It is also in the Namoi Catchment which is an important catchment area for the ailing Murray-Darling river system.  

It is currently bring explored for coal and coal seam gas. If you care for your supplies of fresh local food, the health of the Murray-Darling Basin and ultimately the Great Artesian Basin, please sign this petition.

The Caroona Coal Action Group has a new petition available to sign on-line. Please support this vital initiative and also send the link to your contacts.  

 If you would like to know more, please visit www.ccag.org.au

Speech by Maria McMillan of Right to Water

National Day of Action Against Water Privatisation in New Zealand

I stand here in great sadness.

A bill has passed its first reading in Parliament that if passed into legislation will allow councils to privatise water.

It reforms the Local Government Act 2002 and lets councils contract out supply and management of water supply for 35 years, up from 15 years. And it specifically removes the clauses that say councils who contract out aspects of water supply must retain ownership and control of water. And changes to consultation requirements, also in the bill, we suspect will allow councils to do this without asking anybody.

This is privatisation. Act and National are lying and saying it is something else about flexibility of water delivery and removing barriers and efficiency.

A report by the Auditor General of Victoria indicates that the widely criticised water supply and irrigation projects of the Brumby Government were ineptly researched and are reliant upon unproven technology.

What little public support remained for these misguided initiatives must surely evaporate, as dramatically as the water savings previously touted by the arrogant pairing that is the Victorian Premier and Water Minister.

7th June 2010

The Murray Darling Basin Authority has indicated that the floodwaters arising from the record rainfall in the Darling catchment earlier this year will not assist in alleviating the plight of the Lower Lakes and Coorong.

As significant as these regions are, the continuing lack of meaningful inflows into the River Murray also prevents the river system from purging itself of its salt load and other toxins, essential if the river system is to be revived.

This shameful situation is a further indictment of the COAG-based approach to Murray-Darling governance and the inequities that are inherent to such a fragmented mechanism.

Fair Water Use has reminded the Federal Water Minister that the Basin Plan must be founded on a full understanding of all factors which have, to all intents and purposes, caused the Murray to cease flowing to its mouth since 2002. This must include the impact of the rampant expansion of private water diversions, especially in the Darling catchment (see current media release).

These charts from the Bureau of Meteorology confirm the ability of these diversions to block the flow of floodwaters - and constipate the nation's largest river system:

  3rd May 2010

In response to requests from supporters, we will be posting information and links on the growing international campaign to increase awareness of the social and environmental implication of this industry.

In September 2009, when Bundanoon, NSW declared its intention to ban the sale of bottled water in the town, industry heavyweights were quick to wail that this was an infringement of the public's right to choose; ignoring the fact that the decision was based on this very principle.

Moreover, as reported by the Australian Water Network last year, "unfortunately, on the day Bundanoon blitzed the world, the local council approved a development application by Norlex Holdings to further advance plans to set up a bottled water plant right in the middle of the world’s first bottled water free town". 

Although without precedent, yesterday’s decision to permit the take-over of the National Air group by its only remaining Australian competitor, Breathe Easy (Australia), is seen by many as the only way forward, finally putting an end to the cost-cutting war and subsequent infrastructure degradation that, in recent months, has left around 20% of Australian homes effectively disconnected from domestic clean-air supply, with widespread public health consequences.

The judgement comes as no surprise to many observers, who could see the writing on the wall following the fateful COAG meeting of October 2035, at which Federal and State Governments agreed to the incremental sell-off of all publicly-owned clean-air utilities, thereby giving the green light to privatisation of national clean-air supply, which burgeoned following collapse of the Global Climate Change Agreement in 2020.

Inspirational Cinema has put together a public awareness video in consultation with Fair Water Use: [View video here]

The hope is that it will create a self-perpetuating wave of public involvement which will assist in getting the message across to sections of the community that have not yet been engaged. Please let your contacts know about this imaginative and important initiative.