Dear PM - No more talk, release the Murray Darling report today
Tuesday, 10 August 2010 06:38
So, the Coalition was the first to respond on the pressing need to fix the Murray Darling and now the Government, who were supposed to be doing it already, are responding. The words are fine, but as yet, the secret draft report of the Murray Darling Authority is not released.
It beggars belief that, according to Adelaide media reports, the PM will today announce that she will implement recommendations of a report she supposedly hasn't seen. At ComeOnAustralia.com we simply don't believe that she and Penny Wong don't know what's in the report. Of course they do. Neither do we believe its acceptable that the communities right along the basin should accept uncosted election promises based on a plan they are not allowed to see.
The draft report should be released and can be. As our petition shows, the Caretaker Conventions don't apply, but even if they did they can be overcome by mutual consent of the Opposition.
With both sides supposedly committed to the release of this report and now making promises to fix the Murray Darling basin there is not one good reason the report should not be available for all to see so the relative merit of the promises can be assessed.
Ms Gillard should announce today that her Government will direct the Authority to release the report and Mr Abbott should indicate that he would consent to that direction.
This is the greatest sustainability challenge Australia faces. We have to find the balance between regenerating the lifeblood of the basin and managing the impacts on the many families and farms whose living depends on the Murray Darling. The first step is to release the report.
Unless committed communities and organisations like ComeOnAustralia.com had insisted that this issue be on the election agenda, it is doubtful either side would have responded. At least the Coalition moved first and, in fairness, they indicated their desire that the report be released. Indeed, the Greens echoed the call for the report to be released. Of course, it was all too convenient for politicians - Minister Penny Wong in particular - to accept the rubbish from the Authority about why the report wasn't being released.
There are too many things this Government doesn't believe the people of Australia deserve to know.
Together we haave got both sides talking about the Murray-Darling. Lets make this one thing - releasing the report - that the people of Australia force onto this scripted election agenda. Let's try to force the release of this report before the election opportunity passes.
Please pass the word to as many people as possible.
