8 August 2008

HUNT’S QUICK-FIX WON’T WORK

“Recent comments by the Federal Opposition Water Spokesman Greg Hunt comparing Water Minister Senator Penny Wong and the Prime Minister to Saddam Hussein show a distinct lack of understanding of the issue” commented Dick Thompson the Chairman of Murrumbidgee Irrigation (MI).

“Minister Wong has got it right in arriving at what appears to be the only possible solution given the current set of conditions – to allow sea water into the system to halt acidification. Whilst freshwater would be a much better solution, there is simply not enough water within practicable reach of the lower lakes to provide this type of solution unless of course Mr Hunt is promoting the removal of water sufficient only for critical human needs and industry”.

There is no realistic quick-fix to the water shortage in the lower lakes or anywhere else in the Basin. Inflows into the system have been at all-time lows year upon year and while irrigators in Queensland, Victoria and NSW are painted as culprits in some quarters, it should be recognised that many of these people have had little or no allocation for several years.  

Measures are being put in place to provide more water to the environment when conditions improve including purchase from willing sellers and the creation of water savings. If you consider water entitlements as ‘buckets’, in the current water year these ‘buckets’ are for the most part empty. This does not mean the current government purchasing programs have been in vain, but rather they seek to provide water to environmental assets in future years.

As such, calls by Mr Hunt for compulsory acquisition to save the lower lakes wouldn’t work – you would simply be acquiring more empty buckets. Compulsory acquisition for the longer term is not an answer either as it is counter to market principles espoused in the National Water Initiative and penalises efficient irrigators wishing to continue in food and fibre production. On this basis MI absolutely reject any moves toward compulsory acquisition.

Instead of pointing the finger of blame our efforts should be focused on putting in place measures to reduce the chance of being in this position ever again,” advised Mr Thompson.

More innovative solutions need to be looked at including cloud seeding, savings and efficiency improvements as completed at Barren Box and now being considered for the Menindee Lakes, as well as providing innovative alternatives to compulsory acquisition as offered by MI’s RiverReach project.

RiverReach will establish and roll out an environmental water exchange to enable trade of privately owned water to the environment in a way that improves security for irrigation in drier years, reduces the costs of acquiring environmental water and delivers well managed flows for environmental assets in the Basin. The RiverReach project proposes products that can be carried over by the environment from one year to the next and as such allow the environmental manager greater flexibility in meeting long-term environmental needs.

With funding from the federal Government’s Australian Water Fund, RiverReach products are currently being developed and tested and will assist in providing solutions for the environment and water users across the Basin.

Ends

For further information contact Dick Thompson, Chairman Murrumbidgee Irrigation on 02 6962 0200.