Productivity Commission highlights Murray Darling failures
The Rudd Government’s continuing failure to achieve effective national management of the Murray Darling Basin has today been highlighted by the Productivity Commission, Member for Farrer, Sussan Ley said today.
The Productivity Commission today released its Draft Report on Market Mechanisms for Recovering Water in the Murray-Darling Basin.
“The Government’s failure to plan, manage and implement the recovery of water in the Basin have today been highlighted by the Productivity Commission”, Ms Ley said.
The PC made the following key draft findings:
· Science alone is not a sufficient basis for achieving the best outcome for the community. Community preferences should also be considered.
· The Australian Government should be adopting a “portfolio approach” to purchasing water products and not just focus on water entitlements. For example, seasonal allocations, leases, options and contracts for environmental services.
· Transparency in water recovery would be improved by providing clear and public information summarising the existing and planned holdings of environmental water and the governance arrangements for co-ordinating environmental watering activities are unclear.
· The Murray Darling Basin Authority should commission an independent study into ways of expanding the ability of water users to carry over water.
“The communities in the NSW Murray and Murrumbidgee Valleys have long been aware of the mismanaged and ad- hoc way in which the present Government is going about recovering water and this report confirms their fears” Ms Ley said.
“Penny Wong and her bureaucrats are ignoring community consultation, transparency and common sense in their rush to buy up high security water, to achieve a notional target that in no way demonstrates a balance between environmental and consumptive uses of water.
“As usual with this government, rural towns, farmers and food production come a distant last behind the feel-good green image they wish to present to voters in the capital cities”, Ms Ley said.
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Media contact: Debbie Brown (02) 60213264 0428 297 699