Speak out on river, Weatherill tells SA

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Premier Jay Weatherill wants as many South Australians as possible to go to the Murray Darling Basin Authority’s meeting in Adelaide to ensure their voices are heard.

The MDBA will hold a public meeting on the draft plan at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Tuesday, giving South Australians the opportunity they have sought for many decades, Mr Weatherill said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Now is the time for us to stand up and ensure we get a Murray Darling Basin Plan that returns the river to a sustainable level of health,” he said.

Premier Weatherill has said the state government would not support the current plan and would use the latest analysis from the Goyder Institute to formulate its own submission to the MDBA which is due by April 16.

He said the scientific analysis shows the proposed 2750GL water recovery in the draft plan is not enough to ensure SA can withstand droughts and protect wetlands.

“The state government is finalising our submission to the draft plan but it its clear the burden of returning the river to health must be borne by the upstream states.”

Federal Liberal Murray-Darling Basin spokesperson Simon Birmingham is also urging people to go to the meeting and to make submissions to the MDBA before April 16.

“Whether you’re an irrigator, or part of the wider communities relying on a healthy river system or just want to see our largest river system managed sustainably, you deserve to have your voice heard as part of this process,” he said.