South Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has pointed to a
dire new report on the Murray-Darling as yet another sign that
immediate action must be taken to save the devastated river system.

This eighth report to the Prime Minister, state Premiers and chief
ministers from senior officials says water availability has further
deteriorated, with only just enough water to cover critical human needs
for the next year.

“How many more reports do we need before Mr Rudd bites the bullet
and takes the action we need now to save the dying Murray?” asked
Senator Hanson-Young.

“Water needs to be released now to restore environmental flows and to give the river any chance of survival.

“Not in 2019, not in 2014, but now.

“There is no more time for excuses.

“It’s the drinking water for more than a million Australians that
we’re talking about here, yet without enough water to keep the river
flowing from one end to another, even critical human needs will be
difficult to sustain,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

The report’s release comes as the Greens launch the campaign of their candidate in the Mayo by-election, Lynton Vonow.

Senator Hanson-Young said the plight of the Murray would be a core issue for the by-election.

“So far Labor has been dilly-dallying on the Murray. A vote for the
Greens in Mayo will send a strong message to the Rudd Government that
this isn’t good enough.

“Likewise, the Coalition had twelve years in government to fix the
problem, and did nothing. A vote for the Greens in Mayo is a vote for
action, rather than the ineffective status quo.

“The Greens are the only party that has credibility on the issue. We
have been calling for action on the over-allocation of water in the
system for years.

“We need to prioritise environmental flows to give the river a fighting chance.

“It’s time we gave the river a drink,” concluded Senator Hanson-Young.