Vote for rain -- no matter who wins

In the lead-up to the last federal election there was much angst among the irrigation community in the Murray-Darling Basin.  It was feared that if Labor won, a Latham government would take up to 1,500 gigalitres for environmental flows.

Labor lost the election.  But interestingly, in the interim, the Howard government has promised to take about double this amount of water -- about 3,000 gigalitres -- as part of the $10 billion National Plan for Water Security.

Irrigators aren't up in arms.  The big difference is that the Prime Minister, John Howard, has assured farmers that there will be no compulsory acquisition of environment flow water;  that water will be purchased at market price.

At the moment many irrigators with a water allocation appear to be sitting on a small fortune.  Indeed with the drought, new managed investment schemes, and the government promising to buy water for the environment, the price of water has skyrocketed.  But is the situation sustainable?

After the election, if Labor wins, a Rudd government could decide to compulsory acquire water for the environment at a set price.

Whoever wins government I hope that there is an audit of proposed environmental flow allocations.  Just a few years ago the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry found no scientific basis for the then proposed 500 gigalitres.

Yet incredibly the government went on to propose more than 3,000 gigalitres for the environment which would put a huge dint in the productive capacity of the Murray-Darling Basin.

There needs to be a balance and there needs to be some buyback.  But at the moment, in the middle of dire drought, the Howard government has committed itself to buying back a ridiculously large amount -- perhaps even pricing itself out of the market.

Last week NSW Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water, Phil Koperberg, announced that a pulse of water would be released into the Wakool River -- an anabranch of the Murray -- to provide stock and domestic water and environmental benefits.

The same day Mr Koperberg made the announcement I walked part of this system with local landholder John Lolicato.

In many places the river was bone dry.  The odd billabong contained Murray cod which will hopefully benefit from the proposed pulse of water.

But longer-term it must rain if this environment is to be save.  Indeed, whichever party wins office this Saturday only with rain can the environment and the productive capacity of the Murray Darling Basin be assured.

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