November 1st 2023
Leading environmental organisations from Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland will today present evidence to a Senate Committee on the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill.
As it stands the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill would allow 450 GL of water to be purchased for the environment. However the Bill must be strengthened to guarantee that water is recovered, First Nations People have a seat at the table and that more water is available to flow down the Darling/Baaka River.
"We are calling on members of the federal parliament to step up and guarantee real water will be returned to the rivers for the sake of communities and ecosystems across the whole of the Murray-Darling Basin," Nature Conservation Council Water Campaigner, Mel Gray said.
Members of the Murray Darling Basin Conservation Alliance will give evidence in the federal Senate today urging the Committee to extend the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill to ensure there is additional water for the Darling/Baaka River by:
- Returning water to Traditional Owners.
- Reversing the Northern Basin Sustainable Diversion Limit Amendments.
- Ruling out the Menindee Lakes 'water saving' offset project immediately and getting real water flowing down the Darling/Baaka River.
- Fix or remove the old weirs that are stopping native fish from migrating.
- Ensure that publicly owned environmental water is protected from pumping.
