- Adelaide NewsNationals Attempt To Shake Up The Murray Darling Basin Plan At South Australia's Expense
Nationals Attempt To Shake Up The Murray Darling Basin Plan At South Australia's Expense
Oh Hell No
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South Australian Senators from across the political divide, came together to vote against the proposed amendments from the Nationals on the Murray Darling Basin Plan.
The Murray-Darling Basin Plan, legislated in 2012, was a plan to make sure water in the Basin was shared between all users and the environment in a sustainable way.
Two days after Barnaby Joyce returned to his role as Deputy Prime Minister, a push by the Nationals to shake up the plan at South Australia’s expense was discussed in Canberra.
Bill Proposed On The Murray Darling Basin Plan:
The bill included the following:
- 450 gigalitres of water would not need legislation to be returned to the environment
- Commonwealth would not be allowed to buy back any more water rights from irrigators
- Deadlines for water-saving projects could be extended and new projects could be considered.
The Upper House stood in solidarity with the Greens, Labor and the Liberals voting against the amendments on Wednesday June 23.
Labor’s Penny Wong said it's left the coalition with little choice but to strip the Nationals of the water portfolio.
“The people who will suffer most are the people who elect me to come here, and that is the people of South Australia. They’re the ones who suffer most and we always have because of the interest of the upstream states. They know what the nationals are like, well they have to stand up to them”, she said.
While Green’s Senator Sarah Hanson-Young slammed the proposal.
“Two days in and Mr Joyce as deputy prime minister, and they are wanting to take water out of South Australia, off the Murray Darling Basin and screw over the environment”, Hanson-Young said.
This has put pressure on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to take the water portfolio off the National when he announces a ministry reshuffle on Friday June 24.
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