Festival tickets rare, Plan being hijacked

Tickets to the Sausage Festival are are rare as rocking horse poo. Can something be done to accommodate the numerous local and interstate participants that wish to attend?

The NSW Nationals in the electorate of Murray are heavily based in Deniliquin. They have one of only two NSW National Federal Senators and Federal Deputy leader of the party based in Deni.

What this means for Griffith and Leeton, the population base of this electorate, is as the party enters the next preselection phase, and with a total lack of grassroot membership in our Griffith and Leeton, and Deniliquin holding the balance of power with membership numbers, we are likely to see a NSW Nationals candidate emerge from Deniliquin.

This seriously concerns me. Would such a candidate be familiar with the issues of Griffith and Leeton? I doubt it. Will they have an active presence in Griffith or Leeton? Again I doubt it. Or will they have developed the social networks over a significant period of time to delivery for our region. No.

As much as I dislike and don't support Helen Dalton, sadly, I feel she may end up being better placed as a member for the seat of Murray as the National Party may not have somebody actively working within our community.

Unlike what has been said in the past, Deni matters, but it doesn't need to be the centre of the universe. Fingers crossed the National Party can find a suitable candidate locally.

I've read numerous articles in our major newspapers about the latest Murray-Darling Basin Plan report, which follows politicising before and since the election, and they all lament the failure to deliver 450 gigalitres of environmental water under this plan.

These reports, almost in their entirety, claim only two or 2.6 gigalitres of 450GL to be delivered for the environment under the Basin Plan have been recovered, or as one national newspaper stated, "had been returned to the Murray-Darling Basin".

Not one of the reports I have seen provided a full and accurate account of water recovery under the Basin Plan. Is this because many politicians, commentators and reporters do not understand the plan, or for whatever reason choose to be selective?

Here are the facts: Under the Basin Plan, 2,750GL has to be recovered for the environment (not 450GL). Of this, more than 2,100GL has already been recovered and is being used to improve the basin's environment, while the rest is part of projects to achieve further environmental outcomes. An additional 450GL was added to the Basin Plan at the last minute, at the insistence of the South Australian Government. However, it had a caveat that this water can only be recovered if strict social and economic criteria are met. The criteria were recently reaffirmed by federal and state water ministers (both Labor and Coalition).

The Basin Plan is a complex policy and management document that is being hijacked for political and ideological purposes. If we stick to the facts, while fully and accurately reporting and commentating on the plan's successes and areas in need of improvement, we will have a healthier basin for all Australians.

One vital fact is indisputable ie. more than 2,100GL has been recovered and is being used to improve the basin's environment. Let's not gloss over this.

Email your letter to the editor to letters@areanews.com.au, or post it to PO Box 1004, Griffith, NSW, 2680. All letters must be accompanied by a name (for publication) and address (not for publication). Or use the form below...