DARLING RIVER

MEDIA RELEASE
LOUISE BURGE – STOP NEGLECTING DARLING RIVER
Independent candidate for Farrer, Louise Burge, said she was determined to ensure that more than just the end of the Murray Darling River system was acknowledged in the current water debate if she was elected as the representative for Farrer.

Mrs Burge said one of the biggest issues affecting the electorate was the development of the Murray Darling Basin Plan, which has failed to recognise the importance of food production, the people and the towns of the Murray Darling system.

Mrs Burge said it also failed to recognise the important areas along the length of the Murray and Darling Rivers adequately, focussing almost solely on the Coorong and Lower Lakes.

“The Water Act 2007 puts the environment ahead of people and towns and we need to get that changed so everyone gets a fair share,” Mrs Burge said.

“It is not good enough that policy announcements are happening in the election period which are failing to address this fundamental problem with the Water Act.

“We need to get a strong, loud and independent voice in Canberra to get this changed, and it has to change, to make sure our communities do not continue to be neglected.

“It is certainly not about forsaking the environment, but there must be a better balance than what the current Water Act dictates,” she said.

Mrs Burge said she was concerned important ecological and tourism areas along the Darling River were being forsaken for the end of the river system.

“We are seeing a political process where water recovered for the environment will not be equitably distributed across the river system, only in marginal seats of Adelaide with the focus on the Lower Lakes and Coorong,” she said.

Mrs Burge said it was pleasing to see that in the election campaign, rural and regional Australia had finally been considered, and additional funds had been promised to improve stock and domestic water supplies, and agricultural research and development – both of which were long overdue.

“Clearly we need someone in Canberra who is going to stand up and fight for the important issues of our electorate, because we have been ignored with the development of policies in recent years.

“It is blatantly obvious the current and former governments have no idea of the cumulative impacts in rural and regional Australia of their policies.”

Mrs Burge said the decisions such as dissolving Australia’s main wheat brokering asset, the single desk wheat marketing system; promoting managed investment schemes for large companies which then totally distort markets for smaller growers; and the Water Act which places the environment ahead of people and towns, are just three examples of how previous governments have treated rural and regional areas with distain.

“This has to stop and I am determined to be take the leadership role that is needed to make sure it doesn’t keep happening,” Mrs Burge said.