Sharman Stone MP

Sharman Stone to help evaluate the MDB Guide

November 19, 2010

Dr Sharman Stone, Federal Member for Murray, is one of the members of the newly formed House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Australia. It is this new committee chaired by Independent  MP Tony Windsor, which is evaluating the Murray Darling Basin Authority’s Guide to a proposed Basin Plan.

“The committee will work to ensure that at the end of the day the Gillard Government has the best possible  information and advice about the impacts of the MDBA’s current disastrous plan and it will offer smarter alternatives,” Sharman Stone said.

“Water sharing in the Basin can and must be a win-win outcome.   If the final plan simply kills off much of the irrigated agriculture, the environment will also become degraded.  We have seen this occur where farms have sold off all, or most of, their water during the drought.

“It is viable farm communities who best manage the natural resources of any catchment. If farmers can no longer keep down weeds, control feral animals and keep soils, natural vegetation and water tables in good condition, all of that impacts negatively on the run off into our rivers and streams.

“If you kill off irrigated agriculture, you also kill the communities who depend on the jobs and business generated, and food prices go up across Australia,” Sharman Stone said.

“We have over 23 food factories in our area alone, providing thousands of jobs in food manufacturing and other closely associated businesses. 

“Claiming that the Guide will cause less local pain because the extra environmental flow will only be purchased from “willing” water sellers paid at market prices is also nonsense,” Sharman Stone said. 

“After 7 to 10 years of drought and bad commodity prices, heavily indebted farmers offering their water to the Gillard Government will only be retiring debt.  The banks will be happy, but the farmers will not be buying the place next door or the new tractor.  Their farm production will not increase, and it will cost their neighbours more to stay in what is left of the irrigation system.

“Nor does the MDBA Guide propose any way to compensate our towns for the inevitable job losses and loss of population their proposals would cause.  According to the Guide the wiped out communities are simply to go quietly, or find something else to replace the income from growing and processing some of the world’s cleanest and best quality foods,” Sharman Stone said.

Sharman Stone said the Standing Committee has already met twice and will be working intensively through to April when it reports to Water Minister Tony Burke.

Public submissions to the Standing Committee need to be made by the 20^th of December and can be made via email or posted. The email address is ra.reps@aph.gov.au.  The postal address is The Secretary, The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Australia, PO Box 6021, Parliament House, Canberra, and ACT. 2600.

Sharman Stone said she was determined to help save the environment, save our great rural communities, and our food production.