Ingram Slams "Blatant Scare Mongering"Ingram condemns the political scare tactics of New South Wales irrigators By David Radford - 23rd August 2002 - Back to News Independent Member for Gippsland East, Craig Ingram, has condemned the blatant political scare mongering by New South Wales irrigators and the Victorian Farmers’ Federation in the lead-up to the first stage release of flows to the Snowy River next week.
"I am extremely disappointed the VFF and some irrigators have chosen to shun the huge effort, and $375 million dollar expense, that has gone into making a fair deal for all on the restoration of Snowy flows," Mr Ingram said.
"The irrigators in the Murray Darling Basin, the snowy communities and the environment in the Snowy and the Murray have been looked after."
"The VFF knows full well that the release of the first stage of the environmental flows from the Mowamba aqueduct this Wednesday will have zero impact on Victorian irrigators."
"And the VFF should also know that the Heads of Agreement signed by all three governments states that there will be no adverse impacts to the water entitlements for irrigation diversions from the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers.
"The agreement reached by the three governments and endorsed by the Murray Darling Basin Commission actually protects irrigators and the Murray environment, guaranteeing flows to the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers.
"Flows for the first three years are borrowed from the water allocated to Snowy Hydro and will have no impact on water allocations.
"Comments made this week by the VFF president, Paul Weller, show that he either totally opposes all environmental flows and sustainable water use or is attempting to gain cheap political points at the expense of those living below the Jindabyne Dam.
Mr Weller’s comments suggest that he endorses the scorched earth water resource management calls from north of the border for no environmental flows at all to be released and this takes the VFF back into the dark ages.
"This call also puts at risk the good work of all Victorian farmers to establish themselves at the forefront of environmental management and damages the international reputation of our agriculture industry as clean and environmentally sustainable," Mr Ingram concluded.
Source: http://east.gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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