At the core of the problems in the Murray Darling Basin lies the elephant in the room, Every single action carried out by the Corporations, Federal Government, The MDBA, WaterNSW, all actions by these parties are intentional.

It’s a mistake to think that these actions are mal-administration, they are in fact deliberate administration.

Included in these intentional actions is the framing of the legislation ( The Water Act 2007 ) and the creation of the Murray Darling Basin Authority. All Intentional. Further, these intentional acts have been supported through successive Labour and LNP governments.

The fact that there is no royal commission into the scheme is also intentional.

Water being allowed to be traded off farm and internationally, Intentional.

Foreign investors profiteering from Australian water at the expense of Australian Farmers

Corporations funded by tax payers to shift their operations away from the regions which are being dried up, Intentional.

Draining of the Menindee Lakes ( Rapid Draw Down Policy ), Intentional.

The destruction of a nationally significant ecosystem, Intentional.

Increased water prices and smaller farmers being forced off their land, Predictable.

Decline of Rural Communities, Predictable.

Severe community health outcomes, including suicide, depression, family breakdowns, small business destruction, and regional depopulation, KNOWN PREDICTABLE OUTCOMES.

Destruction of environments, Predictable and Intentional.

The only way we can address these problems is to redress the environmental modifications carried out by corporate agribusiness, halt rapid draw down from Menindee Lakes and decommission the Wentworth to Broken Hill Pipeline and all other infrastructure built without sound science or business plans, including reassessment of the SA Barrages and, investigate and bring to justice any minister, bureaucrat, authority and corporate entity who have acted illegally. Finally we need input and engagement with farmers, irrigators, first nations people and scientists who all need an equal seat at the table where corporate and political influence is negated via full transparency.

WADAYATHINKOTHIS?

“The lakes provide significant tourism and recreation benefits to far-west NSW and are of high environmental and cultural value. Part of the lakes scheme is located within Kinchega National Park, and support more diversity of bird life than Kakadu.”

Quote from a WaterNSW Report re the Menindee Lakes

Given the poor current state of the Darling River and Menindee Lakes Systems, we thought it might be time to apply the Wadayathinkothis Template and see if we can gain further insight into this environmental, cultural and economic disaster

The template asks a few simple questions;

What was meant to happen?

The Menindee Lakes and Darling River were meant to be protected and managed under the environmental stewardship of the Murray Darling Basin Plan. Communities and economies were also not to be adversely affected by this management.

What didn’t happen?

Looking at the evidence, it’s clear that the Menindee Lakes and Darling River and their associated environments have not been protected. Communities, farmers and local economies have also not been considered.

What did happen?

An entire ecosystem has been destroyed. Millions of fish have died, the Darling river and many of it’s tributaries have run dry, The Menindee Lakes have been drained, down river farmers have been starved of irrigation water, migratory birds have died.

As if all of the above wasn’t bad enough, vast amounts of evaporation were ignorantly taken out of the natural rain cycle, with no regard for the effect this might have on the natural environment across NSW. All the while, large scale unregulated, unmetered floodplain harvesting has been allowed to continue in the northern basin.

There is also the unwanted half a billion pipeline pipeline that has been forced on the community of Broken Hill.

The people in charge of this scheme are smart and capable

What has happened is exactly what was meant to happen

As the result of a process being guided and implemented by smart and capable people, if what happened has been exactly what was meant to happen, then what happened was the real aim of the process.

The real aim

The real aim was to establish a Wentworth to Broken Hill Pipeline and to enable further mining and corporate farming interests.

Wadayathinkothis ?