[Greens-Media] Warning bells on the Murray did not go unheeded - Greens

[Twomey, Chris (Sen R. Siewert)]

> Warning bells on the Murray did not go unheeded - Greens
> 
> "The environmental destruction of the Coorong is a tragedy that did
> not need to happen," said Senator Rachel Siewert today.
> 
> "The drastic decline of these internationally significant wetlands
> could have been prevented if either of our Environment Ministers had
> acted in a timely and sensible fashion."
> 
> A 2006 report on the dire state of the Coorong did not go unheeded by
> the Senate, which backed the Greens in calling for an urgent review of
> the
> management of Australia's 64 Ramsar listed wetlands.
> 
> Senator Rachel Siewert spoke at length at the time on the particular
> threats to the Coorong, the Gwydir and the Macquarie Marshes, and has
> continued to pursue both the Howard and Rudd Governments in Senate
> Estimates over when this review would be completed and the results
> made public.
> 
> "By failing to act, former Ministers Ian Campbell and Malcolm Turnbull
> and our current Environment Minister, Peter Garrett have all failed in
> their responsibilities to the international community, to the
> Australian people and to the environment," she said.
>  
> "The Coorong and these other critically threatened wetlands could have
> been Montreaux listed, and the Commonwealth's powers under the
> Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act evoked to
> ensure environmental water was delivered," said Senator Siewert.
> 
> The Greens are calling on Peter Garrett to act immediately to secure
> water for the Coorong, to report on the findings to date of the Ramsar
> review, and to release details of the health, management and recovery
> plans for our threatened Ramsar wetlands.
> 
> For more information and comment call Chris Twomey on 0407 725 025
> 
>