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MEDIA RELEASE: ZERO OUT OF 10 FOR DRAFT BASIN PLAN
28th November 2011
The Inland Rivers Network has joined with six other environment groups in describing the draft Murray-Darling Basin Plan released today as a monumental failure for the rivers and the communities which depend on them.
The groups scored the draft Murray-Darling Basin Plan against 10 key tests which the Plan should meet to ensure the long-term health of rivers and communities (see below).
"The draft Basin Plan released today is a tragic failure for the rivers, wetlands, towns and communities of the Murray-Darling Basin" said Jonathan La Nauze, Murray-Darling campaigner with Friends of the Earth.
"The Plan has failed to meet any of the 10 key tests that we have identified as necessary to return the system to health. We thoroughly reject the draft Basin Plan in its current form - the Murray Darling Basin Authority has run up the white flag and given up on the river" he said.
Read full media realease here.
10-PART TEST FOR THE MURRAY-DARLING BASIN PLAN
- Puts the Murray-Darling on a sustainable footing
- Delivers good quality drinking water to 3.4 million Australians
- Flushes 2 million tonnes of salt out to sea each year
- Maintains healthy River Red Gum forests and Black Box woodlands
- Allows waterbirds to nest and breed on a regular basis and rebuild populations
- Stops the decline in native fish and supports a sustainable fishing industry
- Enables Indigenous communities to maintain cultural practices and derive socio-economic benefits
- Supports floodplain graziers who are dependent on regular floods to produce food
- Provides a basis for a thriving and diverse tourist industry
- Allows enough water to adjust to a changing climate
OUTCOMES OF THE DRAFT PLAN AGAINST THE 10-PART TEST
- Will not provide a sustainable future for the Murray-Darling, especially since it will double groundwater extraction limits to facilitate the mining industry
- Weak 'aspirational' water quality objectives with no teeth that will not protect drinking water from salinity and algal blooms
- Falls far short of the very minimum of 4,000GL required to flush 2 million tonnes of salt out to sea
- High probability that Red Gum and Black Box forests will die, especially on the Lower Murray
- Little or no improvement in waterbird numbers
- Insufficient water for fish to reach floodplain for breeding, fishing industry at risk
- Indigenous communities miss out, no provision of cultural water allocations
- Continued threat to productivity and food production for floodplain graziers
- Declining tourist industry with no security for its major attractions
- Decline of up to 37% in run-off by 2030 due to climate change which has not been accounted for
Read full media realease here.
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TIME TO GET IT RIGHT WITH WATER!
Sign the petition for a strong, credible Basin Plan that returns enough water to restore the Murray-Darling to health.
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IRN has joined with a diverse group of environmental, community and farming groups across the Basin in becoming Voices for the Murray-Darling - an alliance pushing for a strong, credible Basin Plan that returns enough water to restore the Murray-Darling to health.
For more information about Voices for the Murray-Darling visit http://lifeblood.org.au
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS - Caring for our critical aquatic inland habitat
IRN will be hosting several workshops in NSW over the coming months as part of our project funded through the Federal Caring for Our Country program.
The workshops will focus on the importance of maintaining healthy, functioning and resilient freshwater ecosystems and the changes that are needed in water management to secure these precious inland river and wetland systems into the future. They will provide great opportunities for community members to learn from a range of presenters, discuss related local issues and get an update on what is happening in the Murray-Darling Basin.
Following on from the first workshop in Broken Hill (held Wed 28th September 2011) will be;
DUBBO - early 2012, details to come – keep checking the website or contact IRN.
TAMWORTH – early 2012, details to come – keep checking the website or contact IRN.
WAGGA WAGGA – early 2012, details to come – keep checking the website or contact IRN.
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©Inland Rivers Network 2011
Original site by Pippin Graphics and Epic Media
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Download the latest newsletter - IRN News, Summer 2012
Download the 2010-2011 IRN Annual Report
Download: Wetlands Workshop Report, June 2010
Download: Water for Wetlands is Water for Life, Resource booklet
