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Mr Rudd, please answer the question

Below is a copy of the letter received in response to our first letter (see below) to the Prime Minister in which we made the simple request that he inform Australians whether he felt the Murray-Darling crisis was of sufficient concern to warrant declaration of a state-of-emergency, and, if he did not feel that this was the case, to state the reasons why he believed that the issue did not justify such action.

Far from providing the requested response, the Federal Government does not even acknowledge the question.

We are assured that the Government is "acutely aware of the difficult challenges associated with the drought and underlying climate change"; once again completely ignoring the fact that the Darling has barely flowed this year, despite above average rainfall in much of its headwaters, as has been the case for several years.

The recent demise of two of the major players in the politico-corporate scams that are agribusiness managed investment schemes is a clear demonstration that, far from nurturing outback communities, when the going gets tough, as it does so often in those parts, the priority of such organisations is to hastily line the hip-pockets of their Armani-suited executives with vast bonuses and redundancy packages before their entire operations are swallowed up by the environmental quick-sand on which they were built, leaving local populations scratching their chins and the parched earth around them. Sadly, anyone who believes that the water "rights" of these morally, and now financially, bankrupt entities will be returned to the public domain or the environment has been standing out in the sun for too long.

You may be sure that the water-speculators are already reaching for their cheque-books and eagerly licking their pens, sustainable land-use being the last thing on their minds. Thus, while the nation still awaits release of the oft-promised water audit, the private sector increases its grip on the tap.

Federal Governments are elected to act on behalf of the citizens of Australia, not to assume the role of apologists for the unsustainable activities of rampant water profiteers. Mr James, please ask the Minister to inform the Prime Minister that he can no longer turn a blind eye to the maverick and frequently illegal behaviour of corporate water-raiders who are plundering the scarce water resources of the Murray-Darling to the extreme detriment of our rural communities, our environment and Australia's water future.

Dr lan Douglas
Fair Water Use (Australia)
PO Box 384
BALHANNAH SA 5242

Dear Dr Douglas

I refer to your letter of 7 April 2009 to the Prime Minister, the Hon Kevin Rudd MP, concerning the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). Your letter was passed to the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator the Hon Penny Wong. The Minister has asked me to thank you for the letter and to reply on her behalf.

The Australian Government is already implementing a range of measures to address the serious water situation in the Murray-Darling Basin. The Commonwealth Water Act 2007 implements a number of key reforms to improve water management in the Basin, including establishment of the independent Murray-Darling Basin Authority (the Authority). The key role of the Authority is the preparation of a whole of Basin Plan which, for the first time, will set a long-term sustainable and enforceable diversion limit on both surface and groundwater within the MDB. This limit will be based on the best available science. The Basin Plan will also address the use of environmental water, management of salinity and water quality, trading rules and arrangements for the management of storages in the River Murray during drought. The Authority is due to deliver the first Basin Plan in 2011.

The Government is committed to assisting communities in the transition to a lower water future. 'Water for the Future' is a comprehensive national response to meet these challenges. Up to $12.9 billion is being spent over ten years for investment in strategic programs, improved water management arrangements, and a renewed commitment to water reform nationally, including the Water Act. Under the program, $3.1 billion is allocated to purchasing water entitlements from willing sellers, to be returned to the Basin's rivers and wetlands. Up to a further $5.8 billion is being invested in more efficient water irrigation infrastructure, with a portion of the water savings also to be returned to the environment. Together, these actions will ensure that the impacts of reduced water availability on irrigators is reduced.

To assist local communities understand and plan for the changes that lower water availability will bring, the Government is also providing $200 million over three years for a new 'Strengthening Basin Communities" program. The program will assist local governments plan for a future with less water and to invest in water savings initiatives, including cost effective water infrastructure.

In summary, the Government is acutely aware of the difficult challenges associated with the drought, and underlying climate change, and is actively pursuing reforms and assistance to communities to manage these challenges in the long term.

Yours sincerely