Murray plan fails communities: NSW

28 May 2012, 7:01 pm   -   Source: AAP

The NSW government says some communities in the state's south will remain vulnerable under a revised plan to manage the Murray-Darling River Basin.

RELATED

Vulnerable communities in southern NSW have been ignored in a revised plan to manage the Murray-Darling Basin, the state government says.

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority on Monday released more than 300 proposed changes to its draft plan.

However, the plan doesn't propose any change to a planned water recovery target of 2750 gigalitres per year.

NSW Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodgkinson said some communities in the state's south would still be affected under the revised draft plan.

"There will be serious socio-economic impacts as a result of the basin plan on NSW communities," Ms Hodgkinson said in a statement.

"This is grossly underestimated by the Authority's own economic modelling."

She said few changes had been made in the revised plan.

"The Murray-Darling Basin Authority thinks it can just republish virtually the same information and assume the community will accept this," Ms Hodgkinson said.

"It appears the Authority has no ability to develop a genuine plan to manage the health of the Murray Darling Basin."

Farmers in the state said they were bitterly disappointed by the revised plan.

NSW Farmers Association president Fiona Simson said it was "farcical" to describe the plan as revised despite 12,000 submissions from farmers.

"Here we are, discussing what is essentially a mirror copy of the last version," she said in a statement.

"If rural communities are not protected, the impacts will be felt by everyone and will include job losses, the closure of family farms and upward pressure on food prices."

The basin plan will remain with the states for six weeks for comment before it goes back to the Commonwealth for consideration.

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube