The Nationals Member for Rodney Paul Weller has accused the Brumby Labor Government of a deceitful plan to buy water from northern Victoria to send to Melbourne.
Mr Weller said the recently released Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy confirmed that the government intended to buy water from the Goulburn Murray Water irrigation district, to classify it as savings, and to pipe it to Melbourne via the north south pipeline.
He said the Brumby Labor Government had been caught red-handed lying to the Victorian public.
“Premier Brumby has repeatedly promised that Melbourne will not be permitted into the Goulburn Murray Water irrigation district to buy water but this report paints an entirely different picture.
“Page 117 of the report refers to a ‘greater range of options in rationalisation’ and states that ‘where channels are identified for closure and entitlement holders no longer wish to irrigate, they can choose to sell their water share or alternatively, can enter a commercial agreement to surrender their water shares, which will be counted towards NVIRP’s water savings’.
“Water obtained through this process is very clearly not savings and should not be counted as such under any circumstances.
“To do so is an act of treachery from a government which has promised that all water diverted through the pipeline to Melbourne will be sourced from savings only.”
Mr Weller said the government intended to split savings from Stage 1 of the Foodbowl Modernisation project in one third equal shares between Melbourne, the environment and irrigators.
He said that meant one third of any water purchased via the process outlined on page 117 of the Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy would undoubtedly go to Melbourne.
“John Brumby has lied on two counts.
“Firstly that he could save 425 billion litres of water through Foodbowl Modernisation which he quite clearly can not.
“And secondly, that Melbourne would not be allowed to buy water from northern Victoria.
“The Premier can not be trusted by the Victorian public.”
Media contact: Leonie Canham (03) 5482 2039
