Murray River Restoration Not Just an Election Issue

CANBERRA, Australia, September 24, 2004 (ENS) - The capital value of the industries that depend on the Murray River is over A$1.6 billion, according to a new economic report that for the first time has quantified the economic value of a healthy Murray.

Australia's largest conservation organization joined Thursday with representatives of the boating, fishing, tourism and restaurant sectors to launch the report by economists Hassall & Associates, "Quantifying the Economic Value of River Dependent Industries in the Southern Murray-Darling Basin."

The Australian Conservation Foundation wants to focus public attention on the report as part of the group's campaign for the return of a minimum flow of 1,500 gigalitres of water each year on the Murray. The group says the minimum flow must be supported by a financial package to assist structural modification and water efficiency projects.

"Up until now all of the emphasis has been on the economic costs of restoring the Murray to health, but today we're focusing on the substantial economic benefits," said Australian Conservation Foundation Executive Director Don Henry.

The River Murray at sunset (Photo by Robert Middelmann courtesy Weather Photography)

Dams, irrigation and drought have dried the river, and it is becoming more saline. The 1999 Murray-Darling Basin salinity audit found that by the year 2050, in South Australia the water in the Murray will be above the desirable salinity level for drinking water 50 percent of the time based on the salinity standard set by the World Health Organization.

Restoration of water flows to the drying Murray is an ongoing concern that has intensified in the run-up to the Australian election slated for October 9. But while the political parties present competing plans for restoration of the Murray, Henry says the river is larger than the election.

"This report shows that restoring the flows that the Murray needs is much more than just an environmental issue or just an election issue," said Henry, "it's an economic imperative. A healthy Murray River is essential for the environment and for Adelaide's drinking supply - and it's good for jobs too."

Fourth generation Lakes and Coorong fisherman Henry Jones said the fishing industry has already been affected by declining river health. "Ecologically the Murray Darling system is in really poor shape, and this has had an economic impact on the fishing industry - that's why I'm one of the last working fishermen left."

"I'm proud of my industry," said Jones, "but I'm not proud of the way that Australia has allowed the Murray to get to this point."

Chef Stefano Di Pieri said, "The native fish that I'm cooking today were once abundant in the Murray, but we may not be able to catch them for much longer if the river continues to decline. Murray cod now have to be farmed because their numbers are so low in the river.

Fishing on the Murray River (Photo credit unknown)

On September 16 the Labor Party announced its commitment to the Murray River, first recognizing its degraded condition.

"This once mighty waterway has been allowed to waste away," said Opposition Leader Labor Party Head Mark Latham. "Thousands of river red gums are dying, native bird and fish populations have been decimated. Australia's largest freshwater fish, the Murray cod, is on the national list of threatened species."

Latham pledged a total of A$1 billion over four years - A$500 million ($US322 million) for improved environmental flows plus an additional $500 million to a fund for water infrastructure and improved water efficiency.

Henry said, "This is just what the doctors ordered, literally - it matches what scientists recommend for a healthy Murray River."

In a recent Murray Darling Basin Commission report, scientists found that a 1500 gigalitre environmental flow allocation could deliver a healthy working River Murray system.

But the incumbent Coalition Liberal-National government headed by Prime Minister John Howard has been silent on a commitment to saving the Murray that moves beyond the National Water Initiative that Howard signed in June 2003 by Australia's state and territory leaders.

Mouth of the Murray River (Photo credit unknown)

The Greens want greater, quicker action from the big parties to rescue the Murray River ecosystem, Greens Senator Bob Brown said in Adelaide September 17. "The river needs intensive care but the big parties have it on a corridor trolley," Brown said.

In June, the Council of Australian Governments (CoAG) gave clear responsibility to the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council to move ahead with work on the $500 million Living Murray initiative.

According to Murray-Darling Basin Commission President Ian Sinclair, the June CoAG meeting endorsed the shared responsibility of Basin States for expenditure of the $500 million and for meeting water recovery targets for the River Murray over a five year period.

Meanwhile, The Murray-Darling Ministerial Council says the $150 million Living Murray implementation program is already delivering results. Arrangements for watering stressed River Redgums on the Chowilla floodplain and operation of the new fish passages on the River Murray are underway.

The dredging program at the Murray Mouth has provided sufficient tidal surge to replenish the water at the Coorong.

These are early steps to achieving ecological objectives at the six significant ecological assets, as part of the First Step for The Living Murray decided last November. These objectives include restoration of healthy floodplain forests and wetlands, expanding the geographic range of native fish and improving the habitat for migratory water birds.