Weekly Times - Griffith to host MDB forum

28 November 2011
By KIM WOODS

FRUSTRATIONS over the Murray Darling Basin draft plan are expected to boil over with an influx of politicians to the Riverina tomorrow.

Griffith will host a community forum at the Ex-Servicemen’s Club at 11am, with speakers outlining the impact of the plan on their livelihoods.

Shadow Water Minister and National’s Senator Barnaby Joyce will be joined by Nationals member for Riverina Michael McCormack, and senators Nigel Scullion and Fiona Nash.

The politicians will also speak to several business owners in Griffith during the afternoon.

“There has been widespread condemnation about this draft and so there should be,’’ Mr McCormack said.

“This draft recommends taking another 2750 giglalitres from the system without providing any justification for where and how water will be used to help the environment.’’

NSW Farmers president Fiona Simson toured Griffith today to meet with local members and farmers over the basin plan process.

Ms Simson visited citrus, rice and grape growers to discuss the next steps to be taken by the farm lobby group.

Federal member for Farrer Sussan Ley said 85 per cent of the basin’s south was copping the pain.

“Under this plan, during the recent drought, our food prices would have tripled, with over 2000 environmental wetlands being watered,’’ Ms Ley said.

“Is that really what we want to see?’’

Charles Sturt University agricultural economist Professor Kevin Parton said the extra environmental flow under the draft plan would lead to an 11 per cent reduction in irrigated agriculture.

“The most severely affected of this type of irrigation-dependent businesses are likely to be in locations where the climate will not allow adequate substitution of dryland agriculture to substantially replace irrigated output,’’ Prof Parton said.

But, he said, the structural adjustment programs within the scheme should provide substantial benefits to affected communities.

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