THIRTY-THREE of Australia's top scientists have formed a united front over reform of the Murray-Darling river system, calling for environmental outcomes to be given priority in the imminent ''basin plan''.
Despite states such as Victoria calling for the river to be managed in a way that equally weighs social, economic and environmental needs, the scientists called for the new plan to be measured on ''ecological targets''.
''This is necessary because ecosystems provide fundamental support for the economy, and not vice-versa,'' the scientists said.
The manifesto is signed by many of the nation's top environmental scientists, including Professor Richard Kingsford, of the University of NSW.
But farmer organisations are ringing alarm bells about the plan, which National Farmers Federation president, David Crombie, has branded “a train smash waiting to happen”.
He said months of discussion with the Federal Government and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) suggested the plan would “decimate” agriculture in the basin.
NSW Farmers Association president, Charles Armstrong, has chipped in, claiming farmers and regional communities have been effectively shut out of discussions about the plan, with potentially “devastating” results.
He wants the draft plan, due in four months, to be deferred until the requirements of the Water Act 2007 could be met.
Mr Armstrong said the rush to complete a draft plan to the Government’s deadline meant critical input from the farming sector was missing.
“Yes, they’ve done some preliminary consultation, but there has been no opportunity for detailed technical analysis of social, economic and structural factors.”
He said a shift away from agriculture would be very hard to reverse and would have untold repercussions on Australia’s ability to feed its own population and meet the increasing food and fibre demands of the world.
A draft plan for future management of the river - including new limits on water extraction - will be released in coming months. Among a list of nine recommendations, the scientists said the river's environmental assets - such as the Barmah redgum forest - should not be seen as isolated sites, but instead as assets that were inextricably connected to the rest of the river.
The release of the scientists' manifesto today comes as federal Water Minister Penny Wong turned up the heat on Opposition Leader Tony Abbott over the Murray River system and, specifically, Victoria's contentious north-south pipeline.
Victorian Liberal and National Party MPs this week will try to cancel the pipe's right to take water to Melbourne, and the Rudd government called on Mr Abbott to pull his political allies into line.
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