Murray Darling Basin plan must not become a political football

Overturning a century of greed to better manage the Murray-Darling will be a test of the nation, South Australian Premier Mike Rann says. "For 100 years this river system has been run in the most irresponsible way based on the lowest common denominator of states vetoing other states because of greed and sectional interest".

The long-term productivity and sustainability of the Murray-Darling Basin is under threat from over-allocated water resources, salinity and climate change.

Water use in the Basin has increased five-fold in less than a century. The problems caused by over-allocation have been exacerbated by severe drought and the early impacts of climate change. Add population growth too! There is insufficient water to maintain the Basin's natural balance and ecosystems, resulting in a marked decline in its ecological health.

Many species that once were common are now rare and listed nationally for protection under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. At least 35 bird species and 16 mammals that live in the Basin are endangered. Twenty mammal species have become extinct since 1900 and Murray Cod, Australia's largest freshwater fish which was once widespread, is in severe decline.

In 2003, 80 per cent of the remaining River Red Gums on the Murray River floodplain in South Australia were stressed to some degree due to the combination of human activity and drought, and 20-30 per cent of those were severely stressed. With the ongoing drought the situation is significantly worse now.

We are supposed to reap Nature's excess, or bounty, not erode its "Capital" - the basic ecological structures that support the production of water! It's like burning a house's beams for firewood and calling it "sustainable"!

By 1994, 77% of the Murray River's annual flow was being diverted for human use, with 95% of this use being for agriculture. Environmental flows were conveniently forgotten in the race for agribusiness profits.

As a result, a lack of water has played havoc with rivers, wetlands, forests and floodplains.

At the economic root of the problem of the water crisis is the unsustainable over-allocation of water allowances in the Murray-Darling basin to farming, particularly the export-oriented agribusinesses.

Victoria exports around 85 per cent of Australia’s dairy product exports, worth around $2.3 billion in 2008-09. As such, returns to farmers are strongly connected to world dairy commodity and exchange markets. Dairy farmers in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia will be impacted and are now facing an uncertain future. Dairy farming is responsible for the biggest allocations of water.

Australia could lose $805 million a year in agricultural production and 800 jobs, under a draft plan to revive the struggling Murray-Darling river system. That's the assessment of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.

The removal of vast areas of native vegetation (in some cases over 95% of areal extent) has resulted in 5–15% of rainfall leaking past the root zone over agricultural land. This has caused the changes in land and river salinity. Nevertheless native vegetation and re-vegetation has a most important role in salinity control. Maintenance of remnant native vegetation throughout the basin is a key target in order to conserve and maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services in conjunction with salinity control. The integration of native vegetation into landscape design is critical to halting further loss of species and ecosystem function. This should include wildlife too!

And the science indicates that there's no longer enough water in the rivers to keep the rivers alive.

Roy Hoskings, a rural supplier in the New South Wales Murrumbidgee region, says if the water allocation cuts of up to 45 per cent go ahead local produce such as carrots, onions, rockmelons and pumpkins will be affected.

Australia is already a net importer of food, and food exports need to be prioritized to provide for Australians first and foremost. Proposed drastic cuts to water allocations in the Murray-Darling Basin will hit farmers from Griffith to Narrabri and send supermarket prices soaring, industry experts said.

Economically, through exports of its wheat, wool and meat, it has underpinned Australia’s early economic development, although today its agricultural products represent only 2% of GDP and 4% of export earnings. Currently, over a third of the food for Australia’s own consumption is grown in the Basin.

We already are facing record high prices for water, power and housing. Now food prices will increase. Why then are we continuing to increase our population in face of more "shortages" - this time of food production?