30 November
BY MELODY MONTAGUE
For story/pic, go to: http://www.areanews.com.au/news/local/news/general/nationals-pledge-to-continue-fight/2375812.aspx
SHADOW water minister Barnaby Joyce pledged his support to irrigation communities during a visit to Griffith yesterday.
Mr Joyce was in the MIA to gain an understanding of the impacts of the newly released draft Murray-Darling Basin plan on the community.
He was joined by Riverina MP Michael McCormack, NSW Irrigators chief executive Andrew Gregson and Nationals senators Fiona Nash and Nigel Scullion.
"You know full well if (SA Greens senator) Sarah Hanson-Young wants to try and close Griffith down, and she will, that the greatest fighters on your side are going to be Michael McCormack, Fiona Nash, Barnaby Joyce and Nigel Scullion," Mr Joyce said. "The first thing you do in any debate like this is make sure you are well informed by the locals.
"The last thing the people of Griffith want to hear is myself, or Michael or Fiona or Nigel, say something that is wrong when it really matters."
Mr Joyce initially showed his support for Griffith after the release of the guide to the basin plan in October last year.
He said his arrival on the day after the draft's release should remind locals he would continue to fight.
Part of that fight would be educating city dwellers, to give them an understanding of how the decimation of the MIA would affect them - mainly through food prices.
Mr Joyce also planned to force the government to talk about what would happen to basin communities if the plan was implemented.
"I'm not going to debate the number (2750 gigalitres to be taken from productive use) because they haven't produced details of how they got that number," Mr Joyce said.
"I want to know what is going to happen to Griffith. Show me the section of the Murray-Darling basin plan which says - this is what will happen to Griffith, this is what will happen to Deniliquin.
"There is no section, they're just saying it'll all be wonderful - all the water will go but it will all stay the same. That's not going to happen."
About 60 locals took the chance to speak to the visitors at a public forum at the Griffith Ex-Servicemen's Club yesterday morning.
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