New satellite images show big storage dams and water diversions along the Murray-Darling Basin's last free-flowing river, the Paroo, in apparent breach of a moratorium designed to save the waterway. The images indicate a breach of a five-year-old agreement with the New South Wales and Queensland governments, which was supposed to halt future development on the Paroo.
Farmers are angry and want the Commonwealth to intervene. The Paroo stretches 600 kilometres from Queensland across to New South Wales. The 2001 moratorium included a specific ban on the building of water diversions and dams and was hailed as a deal to protect the dying Murray-Darling basin.
South Australian Premier Mike Rann says the diversion of water from the Paroo River in Queensland is an act of terrorism during a water crisis. The river runs from south-west Queensland to north-western New South Wales.
In 2003 the two states agreed to protect it from dams, weirs and irrigators but satellite images of the river show 10 kilometres of channels and a dam have been built. Mr Rann has described it as a criminal act. "That is an act of terrorism against the nation, it's terrorism from within during a water crisis," he said.
The water diversion on the Paroo is yet another example of the appalling ignorance on environmental matters of the QLD government.
This issue also probably involves double dealing and deliberate concealment and obfuscation.It doesn't surprise me.There are many other examples of QLD government corruption.
Queensland has a unicameral parliamentary system.The Labor Party managed to get the Legislative Council to abolish itself back in the 20s so there is no house of review.There is the usual first past the post voting system with optional preferential voting.No hope for change there in getting Greens or independents up.
The new Liberal National Party does offer some hope for a more effective opposition but if they gained power at the next election I doubt if there would be much,if any,improvement on the environmental front.
One from the ABC - Paroo satellite snaps anger Murray-Darling farmers
Prompting Mike Rann to turn into a demented lunatic - Illegal water diverting is terrorism, says Rann
The water diversion on the Paroo is yet another example of the appalling ignorance on environmental matters of the QLD government.
This issue also probably involves double dealing and deliberate concealment and obfuscation.It doesn't surprise me.There are many other examples of QLD government corruption.
Queensland has a unicameral parliamentary system.The Labor Party managed to get the Legislative Council to abolish itself back in the 20s so there is no house of review.There is the usual first past the post voting system with optional preferential voting.No hope for change there in getting Greens or independents up.
The new Liberal National Party does offer some hope for a more effective opposition but if they gained power at the next election I doubt if there would be much,if any,improvement on the environmental front.