MEDIA RELEASE

The rejection of the findings of the Senate Enquiry into the Coorong and the Lower Lakes and the issuing of an alternate minority report by the well-intentioned senators who called for the enquiry is further confirmation that the Murray-Darling crisis cannot be resolved by parliamentary process alone.

On returning to Australia today, the national coordinator of Fair Water Use, Dr Ian Douglas, repeated calls for the declaration of a State of Emergency, giving the Federal Government total control of Murray-Darling water resources and the powers to turn around the progressive ecological and social demise of the Basin, whilst a Royal Commission reviews its administration and governance.

"Australians are rapidly losing patience with their elected representatives on this vital issue", Dr Douglas stated. "We appear to have reached the point where our parliamentarians have run out of options and are left bickering amongst themselves in attempts to gain political brownie points."

"As long as the health of the Basin continues to be subject to the self-interest of state governments which render the Federal Government almost impotent on the issue, it will be impossible to take meaningful action to address the underlying causes and not just the symptoms of the crisis."

"Recent rains may have provided some short-term respite to the Lower Lakes, but this is only one aspect of a Basin-wide predicament and the underlying problem of mismanagement remains. Given BOM and CSIRO predictions, it is frightening to contemplate the state of the Basin in a few years time, if matters are left to take their current course", Dr Douglas concluded.

Catastrophes such as occurred in the Aral Sea clearly demonstrate that social and economic collapse follows close on the heels of ecological degradation.

Fair Water Use has contacted the Prime Minister, the Federal Water Minister and the Federal Minister for the Environment seeking the reasons why they are resisting calls for a State of Emergency and the establishment of a Royal Commission of Enquiry.