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MEDIA RELEASE 4TH JUNE 2009

The Conservation Council of South Australia (CCSA) is disappointed the environment is again at the bottom of the Rann Government’s priorities in the 2009 State Budget. While initiatives for transport infrastructure and renewable energy funding are welcomed, the vast bulk of this funding is coming from Commonwealth sources. Closer to home, the impact on SA’s natural environment looks bleak as across-the-board cuts will see jobs slashed and programs cut in the Department of Environment and Heritage.

Entering the market and purchasing water entitlements is the only way to return real water to the River Murray in time to avoid irreversible ecological decline.

The Conservation Council of South Australia (CCSA), South Australias peak environmental body, today called for bipartisan action to address stormwater harvesting and aquifer storage and recharge (AS&R).

Adelaide has been slow to take up the opportunities offered by stormwater, despite studies conducted over 15 years ago [1] showing its capacity to meet a substantial proportion of our water needs, said CCSA Campaigner Jamnes Danenberg.

MEDIA RELEASE

The Conservation Council of South Australia, the states peak environment group, is calling on the State Government and the local member for Cheltenham, Minister Jay Weatherill, to co-operate with the Charles Sturt Council to ensure the open space of the former Cheltenham racecourse site is preserved for an innovative stormwater harvesting and aquifer recharge development.

The Conservation Council of SA has joined a diverse alliance of voices calling for a Murray Darling Basin Plan based on credible science to save the nation's lifeblood.

This alliance, Voices for the Murray Darling, brings together, residents, farmers, fishers, irrigators, environmentalists and health sector groups as a unified voice for the Murray Darling Rivers.

Submissions on the Guide to the Basin Plan will be accepted by the Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) up until 17 December. Submissions made by this date will inform the Draft Basin Plan which will be released in the first half of 2011. If submissions are received after 17 December they will inform drafting of the Final Basin Plan.

Conservation SA Guide to the Basin Plan response.

If you would like to discuss any issues we have raised in our submission please call our office on 08-8223-5155.

MEDIA RELEASE 3 March 2010

Minister for Environment and Conservation, the Honourable Jay Weatherill and the Conservation Council SA (Conservation SA) today launched the Green Hubs project at the Woodville Bowling Club.

CCSA response to the Eastern Mt Lofty Ranges WAP

In this submission CCSA advocates strongly for environmentally sustainable levels of water provision that protect the integrity and environmental health in the South Australian Murray-Darling Region

 

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Submission in response to : Environmental Flows for the River Murray South Australia s framework for collective action to restore river health 2005  2010 DRAFT for Consultation  October 2004 December 2004 Introduction The Conservation Council of South Australia ( CCSA ) is the peak environment body in SA with a membership of over 50 environment groups. CCSA welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Environmental Flows for the River Murray DRAFT, a document that we believe has the potential to seriously address the critical condition of the River Murray in South Australia . Each chapter of the document is discussed below. Ch1. Introduction

CCSA is very concerned that the documents vision, in pursuing the return of at least 1500 gigalitres of water per year by 2018, is insufficient if the objective is to achieve a sustainable relationship with the river.

Today the first nationally endangered listing for a habitat in South Australia will be announced. The endangered Fleurieu Peninsula Swamps will be recognised as a nationally Endangered Ecological Community.

MEDIA RELEASE 12 March 2010Conservation Council of SA (Conservation SA), SA Council of Social Service (SACOSS), SA Unions (SAU), and Local Government Association of SA (LGASA) have compared notes on their state election prioritiesand agree that the major challenges facing the state include: Providing water security Strengthening local community and managing population growth Providing services and infrastructure to meet the needs of the growth Meeting the environmental sustainability challenge Creating and securing green jobs for the future

States peak environment body welcomes agreement between the SA Government and BHP to protect underground oasis

The Conservation Council of South Australia today congratulated the SA Government for facilitating an Agreement with BHP Billiton to protect the Great Artesian Basin from any increased water extraction for the future needs of the Roxby uranium mine.

"We are very pleased that the GAB will be protected from increased exploitation by the mining operations. This is particularly important for the fragile GAB springs, which are recognised as threatened under Federal laws, and which have been the subject of a long campaign for World Heritage listing", said Michelle Grady, CEO of the Conservation Council of South Australia.

Environmental groups from all four Basin states are extremely concerned that the Draft Murray-Darling Basin released tomorrow may well be a monumental failure for the rivers and the communities which depend on them.

"After the release of the Draft Plan, we need time to study what outcomes have been stipulated; to examine whether these could possibly be achieved with such a low amount of water; and to ask how the Draft is supported by peer-reviewed science," said Professor Diane Bell, Chair of the Water ESC of the Conservation Council of SA.

Environment groups have outlined ten key tests against which they will assess the Draft Murray-Darling Basin Plan. Their goal is to achieve the long-term health of rivers and communities (see Attachment 1).

"We are really concerned that the Draft Basin Plan released tomorrow continues a tragic failure for the rivers, wetlands, towns and communities of the Murray-Darling Basin" said Bell.

"From the information already in the public domain, we have concerns the Draft Plan would not pass any of the 10 key tests that we have identified as necessary to return the system to health, but what we will now do is take the time to examine the Draft, the CSIRO review, and apply our tests to the Draft across the whole MDB system," said Tim Kelly, CEO of the Conservation Council SA. "Once this proper assessment has been completed, we anticipate being able to deliver a final verdict before Christmas."

"We want to ensure that the $8.9 billion budget returns the rivers to health. It would be a scandalous waste of money if that is not achieved," said Bell.

"The most successful and cost-effective measure to return environmental flows to date has been voluntary water buybacks and we would advocate for a Plan that ensures those continue.

"What we know already is that this Draft Plan now puts the environment, the lower River Murray, Lakes Alexandrina and Albert and the Coorong users last. A viable Plan for the MBD must ensure the two millions tonnes of accumulated salts are flushed to the sea through an open, flowing Murray Mouth. It must restore habitats for waterbirds and native fish. It must ensure the survival of our iconic river red gum forests."

"The Draft Plan also fails our communities: it will not provide good quality drinking water; it will not secure food production by floodplain graziers; it puts fishing and tourism industries at risk; and it will not ensure that Indigenous communities can continue their cultural practices.

Release Ends

For further information on the Blueprint for a Sustainable Future go to:http://www.conservationsa.org.au/blueprint.html

For additional media information or to arrange an interview please contact Professor Diane Bell on 0427 554 194 or Noriko Wynn, Policy and Communications Officer on 0411 028 930

Attachment 1.

10-PART TEST FOR THE MURRAY-DARLING BASIN PLAN

1. Puts the Murray-Darling Basin on a sustainable footing.2. Delivers good quality drinking water to 3.4 million Australians.3. Flushes 2 million tonnes of salt out to sea each year.4. Maintains healthy River Red Gum forests and Black Box woodlands.5. Allows waterbirds to nest and breed on a regular basis and rebuild populations.6. Stops the decline in native fish and supports a sustainable fishing industry.7. Enables Indigenous communities to maintain cultural practices and derive socio-economic benefits.8. Supports floodplain graziers who are dependent on regular floods to produce food.9. Provides a basis for a thriving and diverse tourist industry.10. Allows enough water to adjust to a changing climate.

 

South Australia is currently leading the rest of the Murray Darling Basin (MDB) governments in advocating for a return of at least1500 gigalitres of water per year to the Murray by 2018. However, a review of the scientific literature suggests that the river needs about double this to have any chance of returning to health.

Australia s leading river ecologists state that annual flow returns of 1500 gigalitres, will give the river a moderate chance of regaining its health (1). In other words, this is the bare minimum that must be returned.

It is predicted that more than 2000 gigalitres may be lost from the system over the next 20 years due to:

Submissions on the Guide to the Basin Plan will be accepted by the Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) up until 17 December.

There are a number of ways you can contribute to the Guide to the Basin Plan including:

Making a submission online by following the easy to follow instructions Phoning the MDBA on 1800 230 067 (free call) and providing your comments over the telephone Contributing to the online forum Sending an email to engagement@mdba.gov.au Posting your feedback to Murray Darling Basin Authority, GPO Box 3001, Canberra City 2601 Faxing your feedback to MDBA on 02 6230 7579 Asking questions and providing comments at one of the MDBA forums (contact MDBA for further information)

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.

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Rann and Kerin must listen to the people

MEDIA RELEASE

Goolwa, Sunday 12 February, 2006 The 100km Murray to Mike walk concludes in Adelaide today with a festive rally in Elder Park, featuring SA film-maker Rolf de Heer, Unions SA, SACOSS, environment groups and community members. The rally demonstrates wide community support for strong policies on climate change and renewable energy at the March 18 election.

Supported by Greenpeace and the Conservation Council of South Australia, the 27 walkers have travelled through some of Australia's most climate change-vulnerable land to draw attention to the urgent need for action to quit greenhouse polluting coal and shift to clean, renewable energy.

The Conservation Council as part of the Voices for the Murray-Darling Alliance is calling for seven key outcomes from the next draft of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

Conservation Council of SA CE Tim Kelly said: "It is critical we get a good outcome for the Murray-Darling Basin from the next draft of the Basin Plan. "

"These seven key outcomes developed by the Voices for the Murray-Darling need to be met if we are to secure the future of the Murray-Darling river system.

"This river is our nation's lifeblood, communities in four states depend on it, let's make sure as a nation we can continue to depend on it far into the future."

The seven key outcomes are:

The Basin Plan must be based on credible, peer-reviewed science and the processes used to develop and implement the Basin Plan must be robust and transparent; The Basin Plan must return at least a minimum of 4000 GL of water to environmental flows or limit extraction to one third of natural flows in order to restore the ecological health and resilience of the Basin's river systems; The Basin Plan must provide sufficient water to enable the Basin's two million tonnes of salt and other pollutants to be flushed out through the Murray Mouth to the sea; The Basin Plan must provide optimal flows so that essential ecosystem services are maintained throughout the Murray-Darling Basin including; nutrient cycling and other river forming processes; and over bank flows to maintain wetlands and other floodplain habitats; and recharge of groundwater systems and alluvial aquifers; The Basin Plan must acknowledge Indigenous rights in cultural flows as integral to the Plan; The Basin Plan must represent value for the $10 billion of Australian tax-payers' money allocated to help communities adjust to the change by ensuring that policies, management frameworks and evaluation methods deliver tangible environmental outcomes, now and into the future; and The Basin Plan must have clear and transparent targets that trigger the revision of management frameworks, evaluation methods and adoption of improved scientific understanding.

18 November  2011

After a number of delays, the Murray Darling Basin Authority is expected to release their Draft Plan for the Basin on the 28th of November 2011.

Conservation Council SA Chief Executive Tim Kelly said, "Restoring and protecting the Murray-Darling Basin system to be managed sustainably for current and future generations as well as the environment is an absolute necessity. We must ensure that Plan aligns with the best available science".

Media Release

The Conservation Council of South Australia (CCSA) today welcomed Simon Creans pledge to make restoring the River Murray one of the federal governments major priorities, should it win the next federal election. CCSA is looking to Prime Minister Howard for the leadership to make the River a bipartisan priority.

The River Murray is the environmental and economic lifeblood of South Australia said Simon Divecha, CEO, CCSA.

Its continued decline is an ongoing national tragedy and restoring life to this River will revitalise communities along its length.

We are delighted that Mr Crean is making the River a national priority for the ALP and committing to return water to the river

The Murray Darling River system is facing substantial decline. This decline and the need for urgent action is highlighted in the recent bipartisan Adelaide Declaration from the South Australian Parliament. The Declaration states that:

...the River Murray is of great cultural, social, environmental and economic importance for Australia. the overuse of water from the River Murray and its tributaries will soon also impact on the sustainability of the very industries that depend on the water resource. Irrigated crops, urban water supplies, tourism, and recreation are all threatened by the continued decline in the health of the Murray.

We hope Mr Howard matches Mr Creans commitment said Mr Divecha. South Australians can make such a bilateral political commitment; we hope the Federal Parliament can as well.

Fifteen hundred billion litres a year of water for environmental flows give the river a moderate chance of restoring its health. The river also needs immediate flows.

All parliaments need to commit money and resources to stop the decline of this river and avert a great national tragedy from occurring.

Further information:

Simon Divecha, CEO, CCSA, Phone 08 8223 5155 or 0417 879 439

The Conservation Council of South Australia today welcomed the South Australian government's budget allocation for the River Murray.

"We know that getting water back into the Murray is the first and most pressing priority for restoring the River's health" said Simon Divecha, CEO, Conservation Council of South Australia

"The River needs at least an extra 1,500 billion litres of water a year. Most of this water has to come from upstream and these communities will need to adjust to using less water.

"South Australia is leading the way to make this happen with this announcement for water funding"

"The levy amounts to 15 million dollars in the first year and 20 million per year thereafter"

It is estimated that 1,500 billion litres of water for the river, will require up to one and a half billion dollars of spending. If the federal government was to pay half (three-quarters of a billion), over ten years, then Victoria, NSW and SA's share could be $250 million over a decade. A fair water system would allow for some of these costs to be met by the increase in the value of water licences.

"The Murray is a national priority. It is reasonable that the federal government finds at least three quarters of a billion dollars over ten years for its water. On defence security we spent a similar amount in one year at war in Iraq. This is a small amount to secure our environmental future"

"South Australia's announcement is a clear call for action upstream and federally. We need to fix the Murray quickly for the sake of its environment, as well as South Australia's quality or life and our economy"

"At the same time other environmental issues in this state need to continue to be addressed. We must be careful that money for the Murray does not create new Murray-like problems with funding cuts on other environmental programs" concluded Mr Divecha

For More Information: Simon Divecha, CEO, CCSA 0417 879 439

The Conservation Council of SA welcomes the release of reports by the South Australian Government providing sound scientific recommendation for environmental water requirements in South Australia's Murray-Darling Icon sites. The Riverland-Chowilla Floodplain and the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth are two of the six icon sites in the Murray-Darling Basin.

The Conservation Council of SA congratulates and supports all the 23 South Australian Federal Members of Parliament who signed the Murray-Darling pledge organised by the Australian Conservation Foundation.

These 23 MPs have signed on to a pledge to support returning water to a level that protects the health of the Murray-Darling river system.

MEDIA RELEASE 24TH MARCH 2009

The Conservation Council of South Australia, South Australia’s peak environmental body with over 55 member groups, have today criticised the State Government for the deliberate guillotining of critical scrutiny of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Roxby Downs expansion.   The Government has announced that the EIS which is scheduled for release on May 1st will only be open for comment for eight weeks. This is less than required for a suburban shopping centre! The Roxby EIS will detail what will be the single biggest project in South Australia’s history. The largest document ever produced in SA, the EIS must address major issues such as: the massively increase in demands for SA’s power and associated infrastructure, the huge demand for water and the impacts on the coast and marine environment through the construction of a proposed deep sea port and desalination facility at Point Lowly.