The title of the forum is ‘Redemption: Saving The Basin From The Highway To Hell’, and a range of high profile guest speakers - both local and visiting - have been confirmed.
The forum is free to attend, and will be held at CluBarham.
Covering a broad range of topics, it will run from noon to about 9.30pm.
Keynote speakers will include Professor Peter Gell - an Australian paleoecologist and aquatic ecologist studying wetlands, diatoms, and environmental change to inform ecosystem management.
His research is frequently cited in scientific and policy discussions about the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, particularly in debates about environmental water allocations, salinity impacts, and wetland resilience.
Other keynote speakers are third generation family winemaker and irrigation advocate Darren De Bortoli, Australian Consolidated Milk CEO Jason Limbrick, NSW Member for Murray Helen Dalton and Speak Up 4 Water chairman David Farley.
Topics to be covered by these speakers and others include the current water situation, social impacts of water policy, industry and economic impacts, the future of water quality, the future of water supply, water mismanagement and solutions moving forward.
The Water mismanagement section will include an update on the class action landholders have against the Murray-Darling Basin Authority for decisions which resulted in the loss of thousands of megalitres of water and affected irrigation water allocations in both states between the 2017 and 2020 water years.
“After 14 years of the Basin Plan, nearly $13 billion dollars of taxpayers’ money spent and 4,622 gigalitres of environmental water available for use, we are seeing the ongoing failure of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan to achieve the aspirational assumptions which passed into legislation prior to any scientific knowledge showing whether these idealistic aims were in reality possible,” a Central Murray Environmental Floodplains Group Inc spokesperson said.
“We are heartily sick of being told the modelling tells us so. Modelling is not a proven science.
“The Albanese Government, with various water ministers at the helm, has focused on a ‘just add more water’ strategy, believing that this will improve environmental conditions throughout our river systems.
“However, the most recent monitoring and evaluation reports are showing that this strategy is having a disastrous effect, with carp numbers hitting record levels as native fish and waterbird populations crash and environmental flows creating ongoing damage to our major rivers.”
The group said with a Basin Plan Review running through 2026, this is another opportunity to explore and voice our concerns.
