Chairman of the Inquiry into the impact of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in Regional Australia, Tony Windsor, must confirm if he knows more than the Government has let on about the Basin Plan.
?Mr Windsor has reportedly today suggested the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, now preparing a proposed Basin Plan, is revising downwards the diversion reductions to be recommended:
?“If you assume that the 3,000 number has some sort of scientific validity… there is question marks about that and even the authority is revisiting some of those as well but if you assume that was the number, that number is now 2,000.”
Tony Windsor MP, ABC Online, 16 March 2010
?”Mr Windsor must confirm how he knows that the Basin Plan will now only require a reduction in diversions of 2,000 gigalitres,” Coalition Basin spokesman Simon Birmingham said.
?”While with better modelling, robust review of the MDBA’s assumptions and consideration of the social and economic impacts, the reduction to be recommended in the proposed Basin Plan may well be lower than the 3,000 gigalitre reduction recommended in the Guide to the proposed Basin Plan, how Mr Windsor has arrived at a figure of 2,000 gigalitres is unknown.
“Mr Windsor must reveal whether he knows information or has been given secret assurances about the revised sustainable diversion limits to be recommended in the draft Basin Plan later this year.
“If he has then the Government and the MDBA have plenty of explaining to do about how they can predict the outcome of this supposedly independent, expert, scientifically informed process.
“If he doesn’t have any secret information or knowledge then Mr Windsor would be well advised to desist from setting false expectations that may or may not be met.”