Thank you to Daniel Shirkie for his item, 1/12/20, which highlighted the ICAC's findings citing NSW's water management body had a "repeated tendency to --- unduly focus on the interests of the irrigation industry."
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Environmental scientists have noted for many years that our rivers and wetlands are in a dire condition due to over-extraction. Any complaint, however, has been met by stronger, ramped-up strategies to extract even more water - water which does not exist because of biased calculations and because of decreased precipitation.
The reconstruction of the old 2m Gin Gin Weir at Warren, which will effectively be a new 10m high dam, is one such ramped- up strategy to "save" more water for irrigators.
The 1995 NSW Weir Policy lists nine seriously adverse environmental consequences to a waterway due to the existence of a weir. The goal was "to halt and, where possible, reduce and remediate the environmental impact of weirs, [the first principle being that] "the construction of new weirs, or enlargement of existing weirs, shall be discouraged.
"Where is the environmental integrity in NSW governance today? NSW Water Minister, Melinda Pavey's, public response was "relief" that there were no findings of corruption.
Regarding key decisions of Water Management, the report states that they "were inconsistent with the object, principles and duties of the Water Management Act and failed to give effect to the legislated priorities for water sharing".
That is nothing to be "relieved" about.
Margaret McDonald and Patrick Emblen
Coordinators, Dubbo Environment Group
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