ID :
16650
Fri, 08/22/2008 - 16:37
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/16650
The shortlink copeid
Sunshine state laps up the water
AAP - Queensland is in trouble after figures showed the sunshine state took a record amount of water from the parched Murray-Darling river system last year.
Federal Water Minister Penny Wong said people who lived downstream were "understandably pretty unhappy" about the situation, as the federal government vowedto buy up more of Queensland's water for the environment.
Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water figures show Queensland irrigators took 1,014 gigalitres of water from the river this year, surpassing theprevious record of 815 gigalitres in 2003-04.
But the lower reaches of the vast Murray-Darling system - which stretches throughQueensland, NSW and Victoria before ending near Adelaide - are struggling.
Many irrigators are on zero allocations and experts say the basin's mouth, SouthAustralia's lower lakes, face an ecological catastrophe.
Senator Wong said it was clear the basin had to be managed as a whole.
"I'm from South Australia, and I understand what it's like to live at this end of the river, and as I've said, those people who live downstream are understandablypretty unhappy (about) what happens upstream," she said.
Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke says the further south you go, the worse itis on the Murray-Darling.
"The nature of the water system is that the further south you go, the tougher people tend to be doing it, right through until you reach the end of the system in SouthAustralia," he said.
The federal government is buying back irrigators' water rights to try to return morewater in the river system.
Mr Burke said of the $400 million to be spent this year, $350 million of it would bespent on Queensland's water licences.
But the Greens said more needed to be done to fix the Murray-Darling's problems.
Greens leader Bob Brown toured the Murray's lower lakes on Thursday to announce thedetails of a proposed parliamentary inquiry into the basin.
"The Murray lakes and Coorong wetlands cannot be allowed to die," Senator Brown said.
Under the proposed terms of reference, the Senate's rural and regional committee would investigate how much water could be sent down the Murray-Darling and look atcompulsorily buying water.
Independent Senator Nick Xenophon likened the situation in the Murray-Darling to putting four starving men in a room with a loaf of bread and letting one eat it allbefore throwing his mates the crumbs.
Senator Xenophon called on the federal government to do more.
"It's not right that you have one part of the river system that is in virtual floodand the other part that is going to die," he said.
Queensland water minister Craig Wallace swam against the tide by defending thestate's irrigators.
Mr Wallace said Queensland irrigators took less than five per cent of the totalwater extracted from the basin each year.
"The fact is the lion's share of water taken from the Murray-Darling Basin everyyear is taken by NSW, Victoria and South Australia," he said.
He said he looked forward to data showing how much the other basin states wereextracting.
Last year's water extractions were legal and higher in volume because of good summerrainfall after years of drought, Mr Wallace said.
Federal Water Minister Penny Wong said people who lived downstream were "understandably pretty unhappy" about the situation, as the federal government vowedto buy up more of Queensland's water for the environment.
Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water figures show Queensland irrigators took 1,014 gigalitres of water from the river this year, surpassing theprevious record of 815 gigalitres in 2003-04.
But the lower reaches of the vast Murray-Darling system - which stretches throughQueensland, NSW and Victoria before ending near Adelaide - are struggling.
Many irrigators are on zero allocations and experts say the basin's mouth, SouthAustralia's lower lakes, face an ecological catastrophe.
Senator Wong said it was clear the basin had to be managed as a whole.
"I'm from South Australia, and I understand what it's like to live at this end of the river, and as I've said, those people who live downstream are understandablypretty unhappy (about) what happens upstream," she said.
Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke says the further south you go, the worse itis on the Murray-Darling.
"The nature of the water system is that the further south you go, the tougher people tend to be doing it, right through until you reach the end of the system in SouthAustralia," he said.
The federal government is buying back irrigators' water rights to try to return morewater in the river system.
Mr Burke said of the $400 million to be spent this year, $350 million of it would bespent on Queensland's water licences.
But the Greens said more needed to be done to fix the Murray-Darling's problems.
Greens leader Bob Brown toured the Murray's lower lakes on Thursday to announce thedetails of a proposed parliamentary inquiry into the basin.
"The Murray lakes and Coorong wetlands cannot be allowed to die," Senator Brown said.
Under the proposed terms of reference, the Senate's rural and regional committee would investigate how much water could be sent down the Murray-Darling and look atcompulsorily buying water.
Independent Senator Nick Xenophon likened the situation in the Murray-Darling to putting four starving men in a room with a loaf of bread and letting one eat it allbefore throwing his mates the crumbs.
Senator Xenophon called on the federal government to do more.
"It's not right that you have one part of the river system that is in virtual floodand the other part that is going to die," he said.
Queensland water minister Craig Wallace swam against the tide by defending thestate's irrigators.
Mr Wallace said Queensland irrigators took less than five per cent of the totalwater extracted from the basin each year.
"The fact is the lion's share of water taken from the Murray-Darling Basin everyyear is taken by NSW, Victoria and South Australia," he said.
He said he looked forward to data showing how much the other basin states wereextracting.
Last year's water extractions were legal and higher in volume because of good summerrainfall after years of drought, Mr Wallace said.
