[Greens-Media] Warrego water sale is total hypocrisy

[Twomey, Chris (Sen R. Siewert)]

Warrego water sale is total hypocrisy

The Australian Greens have denounced approval by the Prime Minister of
the proposed sale by Queensland of 8 billion litres of water from the
Murray Darling system as "total hypocrisy."

"The Howard government proposes to spend $3 Billion buying back existing
water allocations, yet it has given the go ahead to the Beattie
government to sell a huge amount of water from the Warrego River to
start up new irrigation scheme," said Senator Rachel Siewert today.

"We are devoting significant time and resources to tackling the problem
of over-allocation within the Murray Darling basin. The last thing we
should be doing is taking more water out of the system before CSIRO has
had time to complete its study of sustainable extraction levels," she
said.

The Warrego River flows into a number of wetlands including the
Yantabulla Swamp which has been nominated for National Heritage listing,
and the Cuttaburra Basin which is one of the few untouched floodplains.
These feed into the Nocoleche Nature Reserve which flows into the Paroo
River and on into the Murray Darling system. These wetlands host a
number of endangered and vulnerable species including the Freckled Duck,
the Australian Bustard and the Brolga.

The Warrego is one of the few remaining rivers flowing into the Murray
Darling system which has remained relatively untouched by extraction or
floodplain harvesting for irrigation. 

"If the Prime Minister is serious about tackling over-allocation and
helping both the communities and the ecosystems of the Murray Darling
cope with a drying climate, then he must call for a moratorium on all
new developments and extractions until the sustainability audit has been
completed," concluded Senator Siewert.
	           
For more information or comment call 
Chris Twomey on 0407 725 025

Email senator.siewert at aph.gov.au
http://www.rachelsiewert.org.au

RESCUE THE SENATE

Senator Rachel Siewert
Australian Greens spokesperson on Water Resources

Thursday 12th April 2007