Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Can Cathy McGowan Fix the Travesty of National Water Reform?

By

MOST of the federal electorates within the Murray Darling are held by MPs from either the Liberal or National Parties. Over recent years, however, major water policies instigated by federal Coalition governments that directly impact these electorates have been to their long-term detriment. It makes no sense, until one realises that the Coalition has assumed it could take these electorates for granted, in particular that it has been implicit Coalition policy that the representatives from these electorates put the politics of the party machine first for fear of losing votes in South Australia. McGowan Mirabella

Read more here…
http://www.mythandthemurray.org/water-politics-has-traditionally-put-indi-last-and-last-can-cathy-mcgown-change-that/

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Debbie says

    Yes well said Jen.
    Water politics and water management in the MDB is approaching certifiably insane.
    This year, the Murrumbidgee valley is facing a man made drought and the Murray valley a man made flood! Most of it can be dropped into the laps of the politics. Let’s hope whichever canditate eventually takes Indi will have the intestinal fortitude to speak up!

  2. Warwick Hughes says

    Thanks Jen for reminding us about the foundations of the RET scheme deep in the Howard years. Let us hope the Abbott Govt will have the wisdom to unwind much of that harm.
    But back to the subject of your article – nothing I have read about the CMcG campaign leads me to think she would “Fix the Travesty of National Water Reform”. Not sure where you got that idea – the CMcG publicity reads to me like a lot a GreenLeft material.
    I could jot down some ideas around “Fixing the Travesty of National Water Reform” – but no time just now.
    In 2008 I did write an “Open letter to: Minister for Climate Change and Water” Penny Wong –
    http://www.warwickhughes.com/blog/?p=166
    Quickly skimming through it now there is little to change and if my advice had been heeded Australia could have avoided the waste of Billions of dollars.

  5. spangled drongo says

    Sounds Like Sophie was trying to help the irrigators:

    Hamish McMillan, 36, cattle and sheep farmer, and immediate past president of the Liberal Party’s Benalla branch, heard that the plan to bring down Sophie Mirabella began as a ”secret women’s group, meeting in a public library. They were carrying on like they were in fear of their lives. It sounded like witchery to me.”

    She [Sophie] campaigned for irrigation rights for farmers. ”She’s been a towering force in the dispute in the Murray-Darling Basin.”

    http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/ironies-abound-in-the-battle-for-indi-20130914-2trtu.html

  6. Jennifer Marohasy says

    The Water Act, The Basin Plan… all went through the federal parliament without Sophie Mirabella or Barnaby Joyce crossing the floor… in fact they voted for it.

    Most disgraceful legislation that almost everyone except the environment and the taxpayer has benefited in some way from… yes many irrigators have done OK as with government entering the water market the price has gone up… and lobby groups have made a killing with the federal government handing out so much money to rice grower organisation and activist organisations alike… how else to spend all the $10 billion… and so much government money also for consultants and contractors… and when all the money has been spent… what will there be to show for it…

  7. Neville says

    When the truth comes out about what McGowan ( and supporters) really stands for there may be a lot of red faces. Who knows?

    But we know that everybody on the left and his dog supported and worked hard for her election in Indi, including time and money thrown in the mix. Why support someone on the right ??? so strongly? Doesn’t seem to add up.

    BTW the Bolter has a good post reminding us of all the extremist forecasts from the warmists over the years about permanent drought conditions and lack of rainfall etc in the MDB.

    http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/time_to_demand_apologies_for_these_enemies_of_reason/#commentsmore

    Of course this includes the BOM and CSIRO. Unbelievable stupidity and lack of reasoning during the warm phase of the PDO and changes in the IOD etc.

    BTW I wouldn’t give up on Sophie’s chance of retaining Indi just yet. She seems to be getting the lion’s share of the postal votes over the last day or so.

  8. Avatar photojennifer says

    Neville,

    I’m surprised you’ve not got a RED FACE given the deceit that is Coalition policy particularly as regards national water reform.

    Give us a break, there has been no worse deceit than what was Howard Government policies and politics particularly with regard to the environment and in particular water reform in the Murray Darling.