MEDIA RELEASE 

Fair Water Use welcomes yesterday?s announcement that the Federal Government is now seeking to purchase large irrigation enterprises and associated water licences in the Murray-Darling Basin and applauds the urgent independent audit which was also promised at the Community Cabinet meeting in South Australia. 

However concerns still exist about the depth of Government understanding of the problem and available treatments. 

On leaving the meeting in Hallett Cove last night national coordinator, Ian Douglas, stated that Senator Wong?s playing down of the merits of purchasing water currently held in the upper Darling suggested that once again she had been poorly advised by the Murray-Darling Basin Commission: ?Her concerns that transmission losses will be up to 80% are ill-founded as Fair Water Use is not asking that water be released from the northern Darling at this time,? Dr Douglas said. 

He continued, ?Water acquired in northern NSW and southern Queensland should not be released into the dry bed of the upper Darling River, but should be used as collateral to enable the immediate release of at least 300 gigalitres from the Menindee Lakes into the lower Darling.  As 200 megalitres per day is currently being discharged from the Lakes, the Darling below Menindee is in flow. The required water bolus would therefore reach the Murray with little being lost in transit. Fair Water Use urges the Government to acquire any available strategic properties irrespective of their location?. 

He went on to say that the Federal Government ?debt? would be repaid when the currently dry upper reaches of the Darling started to flow again after summer rains, enabling water to be transferred from purchased properties into the Menindee Lakes with minimal transmission losses. 

Dr Douglas added, ?The promised water audit will only be of value if it clearly defines the volume of water in public storages that is not allocated for critical human needs?.