I read an article about Sari and Bindi in the Jagbani (Punjabi Daily). I was invited by Australian ladies in our library many years ago to speak on Sari and Bindi. The Bindi is a red mark on Indian ladies foreheads and the Sari is an unwoven cloth covering. An Australian lady said she does not like Sari and Bindi worn by the Indian ladies. She has to wash the whole of Sari. I replied "have you seen the Bollywood movies?" Most of the ladies replied "yes". I said "there is a lady Hema Malini working in the Bollywood movies, she runs very fast wearing a Sari and Bindi in the Bollywood movies." Most of the ladies agreed that Bindi and Sari were fashionable for the ladies

The contrast in opinions from two National Party leaders in the media last week gives us an enormous insight into the different direction of Governments at state and federal level.

On the one hand, NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro correctly states that "South Australia can no longer stay silent and bat away reasonable claims for them to pull their weight given the current water crisis in the Murray Darling Basin."

On the other, federal Water Minister David Littleproud continues his mantra of "there's nothing to see here", when presented with evidence of the crisis, or the falsehoods on which the Basin Plan was developed which are the root cause of the current situation.

Rural communities can take heart in the strong stance from Mr Barilaro, which we look forward to being replicated by his Water Minister Melinda Pavey at next month's MinCo (Water Ministers) meeting.

There are increasing calls for Victoria and NSW to withdraw from the Basin Plan, and it may take such drastic action for Mr Littleproud to accept that the plan in its present form is not working and desperately needs to be reset and fixed.

Can you tell me any other Government project that keeps proving itself to be an abject failure, and the Minister continues with a line of 'it's the best we've got'? Imagine what would happen if we took that approach to infrastructure construction or any other Government project; there would be a national uproar. Yet Mr Littleproud continues to get away with it.

This is as mind-boggling as his comments that he will take no notice of the recently released science which proves the Lower Lakes were once estuarine, which contradicts the very premise on which the Basin Plan was built ie: we had to develop a fresh water solution because there was no evidence that the lakes had ever been estuarine.

In the communities which are being devastated by this failed Basin Plan, it appears all we can do is hope that pressure from Mr Barilaro and his state colleagues will force the Federal Government to acknowledge there are serious issues with the plan and, most importantly, work collaboratively with our communities to resolve them.

We want a plan that protects the environment, as well as our livelihoods and the social and economic fabric of our region. At this point it is not being delivered, but we are ready and waiting to share the solutions we believe exist.

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