The upcoming auction of the large, overseas-owned, cotton property, Toorale, provides the Federal Government with an opportunity to do something meaningful for the Murray-Darling.

Yesterday's (August 1^st 2008) announcement by the NSW Department of Water and Energy appears to confirm suspicions that the NSW State Government has little intention of contributing in a meaningful manner to efforts to increase environmental flows in the Murray-Darling. [SOURCE TEXT HERE] 

The 25% allocation now available to NSW irrigators in the Murray valley is in stark contrast to the current zero allocations of zero and 2% currently available to Victorian and South Australian irrigators respectively. The Department has also indicated that NSW allocations may well be further increased in the near future following increased inflows into the upper Murray catchment.

Under current legislation, the NSW State Government retains control over water held in the Menindee Lakes, until such time as reserves rise above 640 gigalitres, at which point it comes under the jurisdiction of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission, which would dearly love to be able to access water from the lakes to increase environmental flows.

The stupidity of the this arrangement is that NSW water authorities are apparently permitted to extract water and transfer it to other storages as and when reserves in the lakes approach the 640 gigalitre level. 

Following the average to well above average rainfall in the upper Darling catchment over the last nine months, the small amount of run-off that evaded diversion into the vast private storages of the usual suspects,  flowed down the Darling and, as of January, into the Menindee Lakes.

The cynical attitude of the NSW Government to the current water crisis is evident on examination of recent data released by the Commission:

We will spare you the need to do the maths: 640 gigalitres corresponds to 38% capacity . . . .

Fair Water Use condemns the NSW Government for its small-mindedness in the face of this national crisis.

Get out of the gutter Mr Iemma: your country needs you.

Industrial hemp is a step closer to becoming a new production crop in NSW, following the passing of the Hemp Industry Bill 2008 through the NSW Upper House last week: [FULL STORY HERE]