Ignores rural plight: "The government’s announcement has totally ignored the plight of country communities on level 4 restrictions. In fact on the very day that the government announced it would build a pipeline to pipe Goulburn water to Melbourne the government’s own water authority, Goulburn Valley Water, wrote to 33 towns to inform them that they were to go on to level 4 restrictions from 1 July."
Towns affected: The towns named in that letter were Alexandra, Avenel, Barmah, Bonnie Doon, Cobram, Colbinabbin, Congupna, Corop, Dookie, Eildon, Girgarre, Goulburn Weir at Baxters Road, Katamatite, Katandra West, Kirwans Bridge, Kyabram, Mangalore, Merrigum, Molesworth, Mooroopna, Murchison, Nagambie, Rushworth, Seymour, Shepparton, Stanhope, Strathmerton, Tallarook, Tatura, Tongala, Toolamba, Tallygaroopna and Yarroweyah.
What an insult: "What an insult to those communities to receive such a letter dated 19 June from the government’s own water authority, Goulburn Valley Water, on the very day this government said, ‘We are going to pipe water to Melbourne from the Goulburn system’."
Reference: Wendy Lovell, Member for Northern Victoria, Legislative Council, Victoria, 18 July 2007.
Erisk Net, 24/7/2007