Sophie to head meeting with MDBA Chairman Mike Taylor
27-November-2010
Saturday, 27 November 2010
Murray Darling Basin Authority Chairman, Mike Taylor AO, will attend a series of meetings on Monday with Sophie Mirabella MP and key water stakeholders from across the North East.
The visit comes after Mrs Mirabella issued an invitation to Mr Taylor during the Albury public consultation session held in October. The meetings will be attended by a range of farmers, agribusiness owners, VFF representatives and Local Government Mayor’s and CEO’s.
“These meetings will give our region a chance to explain the devastating local impacts of the Guide to the Draft Murray Darling Basin Plan,” Mrs Mirabella said.
“So far, the debate has been dominated by Government officials and bureaucrats. This will be a chance for farmers, businesses and landholders to have their say.
“In its current format, the plan is totally unacceptable. Irrigators in the North East are facing cuts in excess of 70% and whole communities are facing extinction if the plan isn’t drastically revised.
“I am very pleased that Mr Taylor has accepted my invitation. He has a challenging task ahead of him, but I am sure he will take out message on board. It’s quite clear that the Prime Minister or the Water Minister have no intention of visiting our region, so we will have to take our message straight to the authority.
“Our message will be clear; without significant changes to the proposed cuts, our region will be destroyed,” Mrs Mirabella concluded.