REGIONAL AUSTRALIA COMMITTEE ADOPTS COALITION WATER POLICY

10-February-2011

Sophie Mirabella MP, Federal Member for Indi has welcomed the Regional Australia Committee’s interim report that recommends the adoption of the Coalition’s water policy.

The interim report recommends the Minister investigate “the impact of the so called ‘Swiss cheese’ effect of water buy backs on irrigation districts and that, with urgency, more strategic buy back arrangement be considered.”

“This recommendation has been Coalition policy for more than half a year,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“The Government has been buying back water like there’s no tomorrow. Their approach to buy backs has been poorly planned and lacks any strategic approach or consideration for country communities. Now that water is in plentiful supply, it’s time to step back, defer any further buy backs and get serious about water efficiency infrastructure.

“They have brought forward $1.4 billion to purchase more water and they have only spent a tiny fraction of the $5.8 billion that was budgeted for water savings infrastructure. It’s time Labor got their priorities straight because at the rate they’re going there are going to be a lot of ghost towns throughout the Basin, including here in the North East,” Mrs Mirabella concluded.