The Murray-Darling Basin Plan has done nothing to improve river health and is set to fail without substantial change, according to a report by a group of scientists.
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The Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists report calls for a one-third increase in water recovery, to 3200 gigalitres of water.
It also slams government for the fact “less than one per cent of the $13 billion [allocated for the Plan] has been made available to assist communities adapt to a future with less water”.
The group calls for $600 million to be allocated to regional communities to restructure their economies.
The report, however, has been criticised by Steve Whan, CEO of the National Irrigators’ Council (NIC) for being “unduly pessimistic”.
“It is difficult to understand why a group focused on environmental outcomes continues to discount the importance of doing more than ‘just adding water’. How can we improve the ability of native fish to breed when they are crowded out by carp or when water is too cold for them to breed?”
Murrami rice grower Debbie Buller was even stronger in her condemnation of the report.
“It’s an opinion piece rather than a scientific report. It makes all these broad statements but is completely lacking in details and specifics.
“What we need in this debate is more common sense and less politics… what evidence is there that pouring more water away is going to improve the health of the river system?”
Ms Buller said providing regional communities with $600 million is very little when you are “taking away their major asset”.
