[Greens-Media] Murray Darling Basin plan demands proper scrutiny: Greens

[Norton, Tim (Sen R. Siewert)]

Murray Darling Basin plan demands proper scrutiny: Greens
Friday 17th October 2008

The Australian Greens today accused Water Minister, Penny Wong of being
disingenuous in blaming the delay of  national water legislation on the
Greens.

"The fact of the matter is that Federal and State Governments have been
slow to reach agreement, and slow to get legislation into our State and
Federal Parliaments," said Senator Rachel Siewert today.

"It is nonsensical to blame the Greens for the government's failure to
meet its own deadline when we are aware that it is unlikely that either
Victoria or Queensland will enact the enabling State legislation this
Bill requires before the deadline."

"It is totally inappropriate for the Rudd Government to expect the
Senate to rubber stamp over 300 pages of legislation addressing the
future sustainability and use of the Murray Darling Basin without proper
scrutiny," she said.

"Presenting complex legislation at the very last minute with no previous
consultation is not the way to do business if you want to meet a
deadline."

The Greens are concerned that this legislation will not deliver the
reform needed to solve the Murray Darling crisis. Serious shortcomings
include: the level of independence of the authority, the slow timetable
for the development and implementation of the basin plan, the lack of a
baseline environmental water allocation and a mechanism for monitoring
and managing river health, and the fact that the 4% cap on trade is
still in place.

"The Greens have referred this legislation to committee for a short
inquiry reporting on 19th November. This is a very tight timeframe to
deal with such a crucial issue."

"Poor governance and inadequate legislation is what has created the
problem in the basin. This is our chance to get it right - let's do it
properly," she concluded.
 
For more information or media enquiries please call Tim Norton on 0418
401 180
senator.siewert at aph.gov.au  |  www.rachelsiewert.org.au  |
www.greensmps.org.au