A marathon trip down the Murray-Darling has uncovered water savings which would run to hundreds of billions of litres of water, says the Coalition’s Greg Hunt, but only if the Federal Government starts investing in new irrigation technology and infrastructure with farmers.
The Opposition’s spokesman for the environment completed an epic 3000-kilometre trip this month, driving the length of the basin, including visiting most of the irrigation valleys on the way, to learn just what could be done to save water ahead of buying up licences from irrigators.
Mr Hunt said he would push for the infrastructure funding to flow to irrigation communities “as a matter of urgency” when he returned to Canberra.
“We found 600 billion litres of water which could have been shared between farmers and the environment in potential water savings if the infrastructure funding was approved and allocated,” he said.
“In the Murray-Darling area of Queensland, 120 gigalitres, or 120 billion litres, could be saved.
"In the Bourke area we found eight billion litres.
"In the Trangie area, 30 billion, and it goes on and on as you go through the system."
Full story in The Land, November 27.
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