To make sense of the situation we first have to remove two naïve extreme views of no foundation.
· The view that the cotton industry or even one big player ‘Cubby’ is totally to blame and the removal of either will solve the problem.
· The view that supporters of change are all ‘Raving Greenies’ from either wealthy eastern suburbs OR pot smoking residents of some place beads, beards and dole recipient people.
This bullshit angle is generalistic and mostly are old chestnut catchphrase’s which become ‘Red Herrings to constructive solutions, which we must have if we the ruling generation are being fair to our next generations.
All of us are major negative influences including:
· Multiple water extractor users.
· Dishonest water users.
· Voters who only think inside their square to keep in power repeat political offenders.
· Politicians whose focus is their short term political timeframe above serving the nation.
· Climate change deniers.
· Above all else, it is the ruling party government, official party line of ‘This is just a drought and no immediate need for change.
Some facts are indisputable:
1. We do have a drought.
2. We do have climate change that is exacerbating and part of the cause of disturbed rainfall patterns.
3. More water is taken out than flows in, no other word for it ‘OVER ALLOCATION’
4. Illegal water extraction, THEFT, is a real issue.
5. Ummetered overland flow FLOODPLAIN HARVESTING where overland flows are captured before they are able to reach the river are a major cause of reduced inflow into the river systems.
6. The River Murray is sometimes referred to ‘The most developed river in the world’ with the number of diversions and locks.
7. The Darling has a viability level of less than 5% and we treat it like it has the capacity and reliable rainfall of a monsoonal mighty river.
8. Decision making continues to be adopted within a mindset of causes and effects, starting and stopping with state borders. This fact alone is one of the major limitations as well as causes of our situation we all should starkly see if front of our eyes.
9. There is a greater focus on ‘Face Saving’ of past decisions than a desire to make the system work for the future.
The state and federal governments and their respective departments are the ones that make the rules or sometimes their respective adaptation of the rules.
Monitoring of extraction activities has been non-existent at worst and randomly slapshod at best.
The MDB Plan:
· Took years to get agreed to and adopted by all states and Federal.
· Even in its early stages, the plan was undermined by a claw back from Environment to Extraction for production.
· The early effort will be completely lost if the plan is abandoned.
· The plan is a live document, we must work it.
What Needs to be Done is in the hands and power of the parliament if they have the will to do so.
1. Accept that we have a greater problem than a drought.
2. Politicians that fence sit on the matter OUT
3. Adopt changes NOW before the relief rains come.
4. First flows must have environmental priority, simply because environmental wins serve the entire community, with a healthy landscape.
“Production feeds from the fruits of Environment”
“System Fails when Production is prioritised over Environment”
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