The Hon. Tony Burke
Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
tony.burke.mp@aph.gov.au
18 February 2016
Dear Minister Burke,
Re: Proposed Basin Plan – a draft for consultation
I write to you to express my concerns about the inadequacy of the Proposed Basin Plan
(the Draft Plan) and to ask you to support the development of a Basin Plan that returns a
minimum of 4,000 GL to the rivers of the Basin.
The Government clearly recognises that the rivers, wetlands and floodplains of the MurrayDarling Basin are in poor health. This includes many of the 16 Ramsar-listed wetlands of
the Murray-Darling Basin that provide vitally important habitat for birds.
The Water Act 2007 provides the Australian Government with the opportunity and power
to develop a strong Plan to restore and maintain wetlands and rivers throughout the
Murray-Darling Basin. This must be based on the best available science.
The Draft Plan proposes returning 2,750 GL of water to the environment. Evidence from
the 2010 Guide to the Proposed Basin Plan (the Guide) indicates that this will not lead to a
healthy river system; that an extra 2,750 GL of water will not restore rivers, wetlands or
floodplains and it will not support the communities who depend on them.
Based on the comprehensive information presented in the Guide, it is clear that at least
4,000 GL is needed to:
• keep the mouth of the Murray open and flush out the 2 million tonnes of salt which
enters the system every year. This is particularly important for the health of the Coorong
and Lower Lakes – sites that are recognised internationally as important for many
waterbirds, including migratory shorebirds;
• meet the requirements of the Water Act 2007 to protect and restore our river
ecosystems; and
• halt and reverse the long-term decline in native fish and waterbird populations and
restore the health of floodplain ecosystems across the Basin.
The Basin Plan must:
• take into account the risk of significant reductions in rainfall and runoff due to climate
change and the impact this will have on water-dependent ecosystems;
• fully account for the economic and social benefits of a healthy river system, instead of
just the short term cost of returning water to rivers; and
• ensure that the impacts of groundwater extraction on surface water are accounted for
and restrict increases in groundwater extraction and use to sustainable levels.
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Yours sincerely
[Insert your full name here]
[Insert your address here]
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