Greens Senator for South Australia and Spokesperson for the Environment and Water, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young responded to the announcement SA is giving 100GL of Murray River water to NSW and Victoria and increasing use of the state’s desalination plant:

“South Australians are being taken for mugs, as the Federal and SA Governments cut a deal to reduce water flowing into the Lower Murray.

Greens Senator for South Australia and Spokesperson for the Environment and Water, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young responded to the announcement SA is giving 100GL of Murray River water to NSW and Victoria and increasing use of the state’s desalination plant:

“South Australians are being taken for mugs, as the Federal and SA Governments cut a deal to reduce water flowing into the Lower Murray.

The Environment Minister is in denial about the extinction crisis and plans to use the review of Australia’s environment laws to water them down in favour of big miners and developers, the Greens say.

“The current laws are not working to protect our animals or the environment. This Review should be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix them,” Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Greens have backed today’s call by more than 240 conservation scientists for stronger environment laws and for the broken system which is failing to prevent the extinction crisis to be fixed.

“The Greens will fight for stronger laws to protect the environment and save our endangered animals,” Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Legislation tabled in the NSW Parliament last night effectively tears up the Murray-Darling Basin Plan leaving the environment and downstream communities high and dry, the Greens say.

“NSW has been waiting for an excuse to get out of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and they’ve found one,” Greens Spokesperson for Water and the Environment, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

“The Nationals are exploiting the drought crisis to blow the Plan up.

The Federal Government has today refused to rule out the privatisation of National Parks for high-end resorts, again putting the interests of their rich mates ahead of everyday Australians and the environment, the Greens say.

“Today I called on the Government to honour the century old Australian ethos that National Parks should be for the people and not for private high end resorts which exclude ordinary Australians and devalue prime park qualities, and they refused,” Greens spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Senate has today passed a Greens’ motion calling on the Federal Government to rule out giving any public funding to dam and water infrastructure projects that circumvent environmental assessment and don’t abide by proper environmental protections.

The motion moved by Greens Spokesperson for Water and the Environment, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, was in response to the NSW Government’s plans to water down environmental rules to fast-track approvals for new dams and pipelines.

The Government’s “native fish plan” is akin to shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic, the Greens say.

Greens Spokesperson for Water Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said: “Our nation’s biggest river system is in environmental collapse and farming communities are suffering because the Government has mismanaged the Basin and let greedy corporate irrigators to take too much water.

“The Water Minister’s claim the Government is “doing all (they) can until it rains” is simply false.

“Praying for rain is not a drought policy or a plan to save the River.

Research released today by The Australia Institute showing taxpayers are funding private dams for big business, further proves corporate corruption is killing the Murray Darling Basin and inflicting further suffering on farming communities, the Greens say.

“Corporate irrigators are ripping off the River, ripping off their neighbours and ripping off the taxpayer,” Greens Spokesperson for Water Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.