A reasonable person would think that a plan for the sustainable management of the Murray-Darling Basin would specify how much water would be used for particular environmental assets and how much water would be recovered from particular communities. The plan released today does neither. This plan is as murky as the very waterways it…
SIMON BIRMINGHAM: Australians have spent more than 120 years arguing over how the Murray is managed. Now’s the time for a plan to fix it, to get it right and to provide for sustainable management into the future. Tomorrow’s Plan must deliver. It must deliver some certainty for everyone throughout the Basin and this Plan…
DAVID SPEERS: Well, for some Opposition reaction to this [release of the proposed Basin Plan] we’re joined by the Coalition’s Murray-Darling Basin spokesman, Senator Simon Birmingham. Senator, welcome. SIMON BIRMINGHAM: Morning, David. DAVID SPEERS: 2750 gigalitres is that about right in, your view? SIMON BIRMINGHAM: Well, David, the issue with…
JOHN KENNEALLY: The River. KEITH CONLON: The River we know now that the Murray-Darling Basin report draft report [proposed Basin Plan] is out. It’s up for about 20 weeks of consultation; it begins as of now. It is a killer blow to some districts, an early report has put out.…
MATTHEW ABRAHAM: Simon Birmingham, Liberal Senator, and his Parliamentary brief is the Murray-Darling Basin. Simon Birmingham, good morning, Senator. SIMON BIRMINGHAM: Good morning, Matthew, David, listeners. MATTHEW ABRAHAM: You’ve called it… you’ve said we’ve got the ‘double whammy’ here not enough for the environment and too much from irrigators. I would…
LYNDAL CURTIS: The Opposition so far has been somewhat critical of the Plan and I’ve been joined by one of the Opposition spokesmen, Simon Birmingham. Welcome to News 24. SIMON BIRMINGHAM: Good afternoon, Lyndal. LYNDAL CURTIS: Does this Plan meet what’s called the ‘triple bottom line’ of the economic, social and environmental…
KIERAN GILBERT: Let’s get some more reaction now to the Murray-Darling draft Plan. I spoke to the Coalition’s Murray-Darling spokesman, Senator Simon Birmingham, a little earlier in the day. SIMON BIRMINGHAM: We’re not looking at anything arbitrary here, Kieran. The Government’s had more than four years to get this right. The Water Act…