New Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has criticised the outcomes of
yesterday’s COAG meeting, saying it was a death sentence for the
Coorong and Lower Lakes.

“Everyone knew that yesterday was D-Day for making the urgent moves
needed to saving the lower end of the Murray and the Coorong, and yet
all we really ended up with was a hope of rain and money for
infrastructure that’s no good without any water,” Senator Hanson-Young
said.

“No new water was secured yesterday. That’s a failure.

“The water to save the Murray is meant to be delivered by October. There’s no way that deadline can be met now,” she said.

While the Greens have welcomed the commitment of COAG to
establishing the Murray-Darling Basin Authority allowing over time to
have a whole-of-basin plan, Senator Hanson-Young slammed Labor
Governments’ inability to address the current environmental crisis in
the lower end of the Murray.

“It is appalling that despite the expert advice and evidence to the
contrary, our Labor Governments across the country were prepared to sit
back and write the Coorong off,” Senator Hanson-Young continued.

“The Coorong is the lungs of the Murray; Labor had an opportunity
yesterday to breath life back into the river, but instead they agreed
on a death sentence,” she concluded. 

Senator Hanson-Young began her term as South Australia’s first
Greens Senator this week, and has pledged to do all she can to save the
Murray.