Taking water from our region disrupts the social fabric and long-term economic stability of our communities. These effects are devastating.
Effects of large-scale extraction of water.
Health Risk and reduced quality of life.
Reduced water availability leads to poor sanitation, increased disease outbreaks and psychological stress among our residents.
Suicide is/has become this country’s leading cause of death.
No wars, no third world status, no refugee camps, just government bungling on all fronts.
Cultural displacement and social inequity.
All rural and regional communities have deep cultural and spiritual ties to our lakes and rivers.
Reduced water allocations erodes our traditions, identity, social unrest and way of life.
Unlike our city cousins, our identity is forever with the land.
Decline in population due to the removal of water causes community breakdown and erosion of social networks.
Economic impacts.
Agriculture – lower crop yields, loss of income and increased food prices.
Farming, tourism and manufacturing struggle to survive, which in turn brings economic downturn, job losses, loan defaults, property devaluation, domestic violence and the endless merry-go-round of dysfunction.
Added to the human cost is the cost to governments in welfare, loss of revenue from the dwindling pool of taxpayers, and the increasing costs of health and welfare services.
The likelihood of wildfires is increased as we turn our irrigated land into dryland farming, and we change the area temperature and composition of our soil.
The Murray River Council - aptly named for all its river systems - is threatened once again.
The Barmah Choke is a natural environmental restriction that prevents the township of Echuca Moama from devastating floods.
This choke forces water down the Edward River during high flows and also into smaller creeks and streams with resultant flooding creating the Barmah-Millewa red gum forest.
The Edward River, the Wakool River and the Gulpa, Yallakool, Colligen and Merran creeks are all part of our inland delta.
The continued losses to these ecological systems is untenable to our environment and our people.
As a Murray River councillor, I strongly object to water buybacks.
Consistent mismanagement is frustrating, with our residents feeling abandoned.
The stress and anxiety impacting mental health and wellbeing that is affecting our community morale is gut-wrenching
Our water should not be foreign owned, and nor should we be fighting over it.
To expect our farmers to be continually called upon to write submission after submission that are cast aside and not taken seriously is nothing short of emotional abuse.
Yours etc.
Cr Gen Campbell
Murray River Council
20°C