There
is simply not enough water in the Murray Darling system to satisfy all users,
it has been grossly over allocated.
I
have submitted compiled figures, available in the public domain, into a complete
water and salt balance and forwarded these to our Governments requesting
confirmation or correction.
There
have refused to comment, why? These figures are crucial to managing our
rivers; do they not want the public to know the true facts?
It
is no good procrastinating, there is an over allocation of water. It does
not matter whose fault it is, there is simply not enough water in the river,
and decisions, however tough, just have to be taken.
Almost
a decade ago I set up a highly qualified independent research organization
to undertake long term strategic research into more effective ways of using
our water. This has been a major research effort of some 80 man years of
research; I have contributed over 5 million dollars of my own money to this
research because I believe water is our second most crucial asset (after
the people). New water saving technologies have been developed and reports,
covering both technical and policy issues have been submitted to our Governments.
Research
is not enough, we need Government policies to help our irrigators use our
water better and ensure adequate environmental flows.
These
reports are a constructive contribution to our water management; but they
do not shy away from the hard facts and could possibly be wrongly misinterpreted
as an attack on past Government actions. To date the Governments have buried
their heads in the sand refusing to enter into any discussions on these water
saving technologies and the required implementation policies.
Ultimately
water belongs to the people of
Click
below for recent reports;-
Myths and Fantasies
of sustainable food production in Australia
Water technology and policy interactons
Reaping the benefits of water saving
technology