Australia’s one great river system – Murray-Darling Basin Plan ‘untenable’ – corrupt?
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Murray-Darling Basin Plan ‘untenable’ says NSW, as Inspector-General says more corruption wouldn’t surprise https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-05/murray-darling-basin-plan-untenable-says-nsw/11382396
Key points:
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro said NSW was “considering its options in relation to the basin plan” following a meeting of water ministers in Canberra on Sunday. Mr Barilaro did not attend the meeting, but in a statement said the Murray-Darling Basin Plan Ministerial Council had missed an opportunity to deliver “some real certainty and transparency for regional communities on their knees”. “The Murray-Darling Basin Plan is untenable for NSW,” he said in the statement. At a media conference after the water ministers met, neither NSW Water Minister Melinda Pavey, Federal Water Minister David Littleproud, Victorian Water Minister Lisa Neville nor South Australian Water Minister David Speirs gave any indication NSW was considering walking away from the plan. Independent modellingFollowing the meeting, Victoria’s Lisa Neville and NSW counterpart Melinda Pavey said their states would work together to appoint independent experts to review the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s (MDBA) modelling for water flows. We’re concerned about some of the modelling that has been done by the MDBA that assumes flows that we don’t believe are achievable or can’t be achieved without significant flooding of communities,” Ms Neville said. “We thought this was a commonsense motion that we put to the Council today, unfortunately we didn’t get support, so we will undertake our own work,” she said. Ms Pavey said drought had heightened concern in regional communities and there was a level of distrust about the ability of authorities to deliver the basin plan. “Our communities deserve nothing less than to open the books, have a look at the work, analyse it, independently peer review it so that we can restore faith in the processes,” Ms Pavey said. The review of the MDBA’s modelling for both environment and irrigation flows is expected to be completed by the next Ministerial Council in December. Mick Keelty gets inspector-general nodFederal Water Minister David Littleproud thanked the state and territory ministers for unanimously agreeing to establish an inspector-general for the Murray-Darling Basin. “The inspector-general will be a tough but fair cop to oversee all states and federal agencies delivering the basin plan,” Mr Littleproud said. Former police commissioner Mick Keelty, who was appointed Northern Basin Commissioner last year, was confirmed at the ministerial council that he will serve as interim Inspector-General. Mr Keelty said he would not be surprised to learn of more corruption throughout the basin, although he did not expect it would be extensive. “Because I would have thought I would have heard of it in this first 12 months as northern commissioner [but] nothing surprises you in the corruption game,” he said.
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