Sharman Stone MP

 

Federal Member for Murray, Dr Sharman Stone, said a re-elected Coalition Government will reinstate the Coalition’s 2007 Murray Darling Basin Plan with carefully targeted water buyback (not Penny Wong’s), funding of on farm water efficiency measures and funding for infrastructure.

 

“The full implementation of the Coalition’s 10 point National Water Plan released in January 2007, was hindered at the time by the Victorian Labor Government’s refusal to sign up to the plan,” Sharman Stone said.

 

“When Labor took control of water federally, as well as controlling the state water resources, it was like putting Dracula in charge of the Blood Bank.

 

“Labor, held captive by the Greens went on a spending spree to buy water for the environment without any plan or without actually knowing how much water was needed for the environment.

 

Water Minister Penny Wong said she would only buy water from willing sellers. But her so called willing sellers have faced years of drought, high debt levels, a State Labor Government piping our water away to flush the toilets of Melbourne and the closure of over 50% of the irrigation system. It is very hard to know who is a genuine willing seller in these circumstances.

 

Sharman Stone said the Coalition will stop the scatter gun approach to water buyback that Federal Labor’s Water Minister, Penny Wong has engaged in for the past two years, and will once again invest seriously in water saving measures.