Fair Water Use (Australia) has been investigating the Critical Water Allocation (CWA) Scheme recently announced by the State Government of South Australia, in view of concerns raised about its consequences.

At first glance, this appears to be a laudable initiative whereby “viable irrigators of permanent horticultural plantings in the River Murray corridor” in South Australia may apply for Government assistance in providing these crops with the additional water that is required to ensure their survival through the current financial year. This will be enabled by Government-underwritten acquisition of “critical water” for the purpose.

We have had a incredibly strong response from supporters expressing their disgust at the maverick behaviour of the Queensland Government with respect to their pre-emptive and untenable valuation of water allocations.There can be little doubt that this process is designed either to take unreasonable advantage of or to obstruct the Federal Government's buy-back scheme.

FWU is not a strong supporter of the buy-back, however this opportunistic and ecologically-disastrous behaviour must be strongly condemned by anyone who cares about the future of the Murray-Darling Basin.

If you are moved to take action on this, we would urge you to send a fax (no matter how brief) to Minister Wallace on (07) 4773 5013 and/or Premier Bligh on (07) 3221 3631 to let them know how you feel. Emails may be easier but are unlikely to reach their desks.

 I  support this situation as being a State of Emergency and there is a dire need for a Royal Commission into the management of water in the MDB and tributaries. My story:

I am a farmer; I live on the Narrung Peninsula, between the shores of the Coorong and Lake Albert. This morning I woke up and heard the ocean behind our property, roaring, and I knew it was a sign of a change of weather, and it was possible that the birds would fly in from the Coorong into Lake Albert for protection. Yesterday, the pelicans were gliding high up in the sky following the thermals spiralling higher and higher, what a lovely sight.

  (Acid-sulphate decay, Lake Albert: Image courtesy L. Fischer)

This is a copy of a letter sent to John Seery, Gwydir Valley irrigator and major water-speculator. We await his response:

 23rd October 2008

(8th November 2008

Hon Greg Hunt MP,)

Dear Greg,

Now that you have completed your trip through the Murray-Darling Basin  (in your capacity as the Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water ), FWU would be most grateful if you would indicate whether you feel that the Senate enquiry currently underway offers any realistic hope that Commonwealth Government will subsequently be able to put measures in place to revive the river system.

If you do not feel that is the case, could you please indicate whether you support calls for declaration of a State of Emergency, and if not, why you believe that it is an inappropriate course of action.

Kind regards, Ian

Ian Douglas
Coordinator
___________________________________________________________________________

(22nd October 2008)

Dear Ian,

Many thanks for your message.

I have previously called for a Declaration of a National Environmental Emergency for the Lower Lakes.

I will next week be travelling 3000km across the basin and will be a in a better position to make broader judgments after that.

Regards and greatly appreciated.

Cheers,  Greg

(The Hon Greg Hunt MP)

The recent Drought Update from the Murray Darling Basin Commission makes grim reading. Inflows into the system and storages levels remain at record lows; the climate is warmer and drier. The trends and implications are clear. We must learn from the mistakes of the past and accept the fact that urgent and radical change is required: [READ FULL REPORT]

"Australia has a water crisis; on this everyone is agreed. There is no consensus, however, on the cause of the crisis or the best solution to address it. Many blame climate change or believe the drought is cyclical and will pass. But what if this is not a cyclical drought? What if it is permanent?

It has become clear greenhouse gas emissions are not the only cause of climate change. What is just beginning to be understood is our collective global abuse and displacement of fresh water is also a serious cause of climate change and a culprit in the desertification of the planet." [FULL ARTICLE HERE]

Maude Barlow's biographical summary [here]

The comment by National Water Commission CEO Ken Matthews earlier this week, that there are no national guidelines for dealing with over-allocation, raises questions about the raison-d?etre of the Commission.

Whether or not one agrees with the policy, it is always best to stay informed:  [WEB LINK HERE]

It has been revealed that consultancy firm KBR will receive in excess of $30 million for advisory input with respect to the $3.1 billion desalination plant to be built at Wonthaggi in Victoria and scheduled to produce 150 gigalitres of fresh water annually by 2011.