Labor’s Murray-Darling inquiry sells South Australia short

Darling River Dry Bed

The Greens will amend Labor’s Murray Darling inquiry, to ensure a wide-ranging probe into the corruption and mismanagement of our River system.

“Labor’s inquiry sells South Australia short. Australians know too well that this scandal isn’t a one off. The Murray Darling Basin is in crisis and needs to be fixed,” Greens environment and water spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.


“While it is good to see Labor wants to investigate Barnaby Joyce’s dodgy water purchase, it does not go far enough. This inquiry must investigate the growing list of scandals that have been plaguing our River system for years.

“The Greens in the Senate will amend this inquiry to broaden the scope of the review. We’ve seen water theft, meter tampering, towns without clean drinking water, and a million dead fish. We’ve seen overland flow harvesting that robs the river of water, and bogus infrastructure projects that cost more than they’re worth.

“The South Australian Royal Commission called the management of our nation’s most important river system ‘gross maladministration’. The Federal Government and the Murray Darling Basin Authority both dodged appearing and must answer to a full, federal Royal Commission.
“$13 billion has been spent on a Plan that was meant to save the river, and it is failing. The rorting, non-compliance and corruption rife in upstream states affects us at the bottom of the River in South Australia. Inquiring into water purchases from a shonky water minister is important, but it will not explain why our Coorong is dying.

“This is why we need strong Greens representation in the Senate. We will fight for a full, wide-ranging inquiry to clear the rot out of our River system, and work to restore it to health.”


Wednesday, April 24, 2019