Page 170 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 13 February 2019
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horses in Kosciuszko National Park, a decision that threatens the vast majority of Canberra’s drinking water, as well as our pristine national parkland.
Today, regrettably, I have to rise yet again to condemn the maladministration of the Murray-Darling Basin, a river system that, like Kosciuszko National Park, crosses multiple jurisdictions, including ours. The shocking mass fish deaths at Menindee and Lake Hume might feel like another world away, but the significance of the Murray-Darling Basin to Canberra’s water health and security is much closer to home.
We should all be concerned about the findings stemming from the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission. Both the negligence demonstrated by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and the federal government’s inability to lawfully and productively safeguard Australia’s largest river system are shocking, to say the least.
It will not surprise me if some members on the other side of this chamber are tempted to, as they often do, throw their hands in the air at what they perceive to be another motion calling out the actions of another jurisdiction, but they continually need to be reminded that the actions of other governments do impact on us, and we do have a responsibility to our constituents and to our environment to stand up when other jurisdictions or authorities make decisions that negatively affect us.
Like feral horses, water does not recognise borders. The Murray-Darling Basin traverses five states and territories, including the ACT. Canberra happens to be the largest population centre in the basin. Our territory is wholly situated in the Murrumbidgee River catchment, and this catchment of course feeds into the Murray-Darling Basin. As a result, ACT waterways and Australia’s largest river system are intrinsically linked. Mismanagement of the Murray-Darling Basin impacts on the security of our water. Likewise, our actions in maintaining healthy waterways and managing water resources directly impact on the river network.
We were all shocked at the scale of the mass fish deaths in the Darling River at Menindee and Lake Hume. Millions of fish have been killed as a result of a toxic algal bloom. Footage of the big, bloated carcasses of the native and critically endangered Murray cod have gone viral. The ghastly sight and smell of these dead fish was enough to make one politician vomit. Meanwhile, many Menindee residents face muddy tap water and the stench worsening immediately after the mass fish deaths. As the ABC reported last month, one resident described her bathroom water as green and said the smell was enough to make her vomit in the shower.
The federal Department of the Environment and Energy has linked the unprecedented fish deaths and worsening river health to the drought and consequent changes to water temperatures, but numerous experts say these fish deaths were preventable. One such expert is Australian National University Professor John Williams, who has co-authored a paper on the health of the Murray-Darling Basin. Speaking to the ABC, Professor Williams said too much water was being removed from the northern basin and that irrigators needed to reduce their water intake by 40 per cent.
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