As State and Federal Government Ministers prepare for tomorrows Murray Darling Basin Ministerial Council meeting, environment groups have called on governments to commit to buying water to save the Murray River.
The money is flowing but the Murray is still dying it is drowning in red tape, said ACF Healthy Rivers Campaigner, Dr Arlene Buchan.
The cheapest and most efficient way for governments to meet their commitments to return the first 500 gigalitres of water by 2009 is to purchase water using a range of market mechanisms.
Last weeks Federal Budget put a further $500 million towards saving the Murray on top of previous commitments of $500 million for water acquisition from State and Federal Governments.
While the Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry Peter McGauran has expressed opposition to the idea of purchasing water from willing sellers for the river, some Governments have already decided to purchase water for the environment.
- South Australia will meet part of its water recovery commitments for the River Murray by purchasing water entitlements
- Queensland has just announced a plan to purchase two irrigation properties and return their water entitlements to the Narran Lakes, NSW
- NSW will use the $105 million in their Riverbank fund to buy water for the benefits of six internationally significant wetland areas in inland NSW
There are a range of fair, far-sighted and flexible market mechanisms that could ensure real water is returned to the river in a reasonable period of time, said Environment Victorias Healthy Rivers Campaigner Dr Paul Sinclair.
These include purchase on the open market, voluntary water buy-back schemes, tender and auction schemes, options contracts, taxation incentives and even water trust models. On the one hand the NSW and Victorian governments are already purchasing water for urban and environmental purposes in other parts of their states, yet they seem unwilling to do the same for Australias major river system, said Michelle Grady of the SA Conservation Council.
Governments have committed to return 500 gigalitres through the Living Murray First Step, but scientists say the river needs at least 1500 gigalitres. A CSIRO report to be tabled at tomorrows meeting shows the river may in fact need 2000 gigalitres or more, simply to maintain its current level of health, said Amy Hankinson of NSW Inland Rivers Network.
Media contacts:
Australian Conservation Foundation: Dr Arlene Buchan 0407 883 907
Environment Victoria: Dr Paul Sinclair 0417 017 844
Inland Rivers Network: Amy Hankinson 0407 279088
Conservation Council of SA: Michelle Grady 0417 879 439
*New fact sheets on market mechanisms are at: http://www.acfonline.org.au/default.asp?section_id=160
