Floods Loom as Politicians Burn Bridges

Water availability could hardly be in better shape in the Murray–Darling Basin, with dams brimming and rivers in flood. Dartmouth Dam is sitting precariously close to spill at 97.67% and releases have ramped up from Hume Dam to 33,700 megalitres per day to combat the 96% full and still 43,000 megalitre a day inflows. The Murrumbidgee is in flood with the storages of Burrinjuck Dam at 100.61% full and Blowering at 95.77%. 

At the time of writing, the South Australians are enjoying 53,882 megalitres over the border per day and have 270 gates open to the sea.

Despite being awash with water, you would hardly know if you were reading the ABC or listening to the Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek. Sensational headlines of only 2 gigalitres recovered for the environment and an insatiable push for the extra 450 gigalitres are daily talking points for the return to the bad old days of water engagement.

Recently, South Australia Centre Alliance MP for Mayo, Rebekha Sharkie, released a statement with the headline: Mouth of the Murray Communities abandoned as east coast interests reign supreme. In her statement, she claimed less than one per cent of fresh water has been returned to the Murray River in the 10 years of the basin plan. Ms Sharkie seems to be as familiar with geography as she does with water recovery volumes. Despite the Murray–Darling Basin not being connected to the east coast, it has provided over 2,000 gigalitres in water recovery under the Murray–Darling Basin Plan with another 605 gigalitres to be recovered through projects with environmental benefits. The Southern NSW region has seen 801.9 gigalitres returned, Victoria 788 gigalitres, 300 gigalitres from the Northern Basin and just 141 from South Australia.  

Social and economic implications of future water recovery seem as important as deliverability and storage of the recovered water to those dictating on high.

Local water advocacy groups have been dismayed by a return to top down political spin with no connection to the realities of life for basin communities.

“At Speak Up, we are extremely disappointed with some of the false rhetoric that has recently been promoted, in particular around the water recovery volumes under the Basin Plan,” said Speak Up chair, Shelly Scoullar.

“We are getting constant political commentary and media reporting which infers only two gigalitres have been recovered under the plan.”

Central Murray Environmental Floodplains Group Inc Chair, Geoff Kendell, said, “It is sad and frustrating over recent years Government has continually refused to listen to our calls to raise awareness around the failings and inadequacies of the Murray–Darling Basin Plan and associated environmental watering programs.

“A Plan that has destroyed what was the third most productive region in Victoria at the turn of the century, to a mere shadow of its former self.

“The plan has torn our communities apart; mental health and stress issues are alarming, multigenerational farming families are forced off the land and community businesses and social infrastructure is dying too.

“The Murray–Darling Basin Plan was supposed to be a bipartisan agreement, however corporate investors have been allowed to exploit the irrigation industry destroying its integrity and diversity.”

The plan roles on, on time and in full, forget the balance, triple bottom line and the people who live, work and love where they live.