From our ABC

PM contradicts Turnbull on $10b water plan

The Prime Minister has contradicted his Water Minister's stance on the Commonwealth's $10 billion water plan, saying it will not work without Victoria.

This morning, Malcolm Turnbull told a meeting of his state counterparts in Brisbane the plan to save the Murray-Darling Basin will go ahead regardless of whether Victoria signs on or not.

But John Howard says it needs the cooperation of all the affected states.

"It's an Australian problem," he said.

"It's got to be solved at a national level and that can only happen if our plan is adopted.

"And if Victoria doesn't join, Victoria is holding up a national solution to our most critical conservation issue."

 

‘All across the United States, municipal water systems are being bought up by multinational corporations, turning one of our last remaining public commons and our most vital resource into a commodity.

The road to privatization is being paved by our own government.

The Bush administration is actively working to loosen the hold that cities and towns have over public water, enabling corporations to own the very thing we depend on for survival.

The effects of the federal government's actions are being felt all the way down to Conference of Mayors, which has become a "feeding frenzy" for corporations looking to make sure that nothing is left in the public's hands, including clean, affordable water.’

Fighting The Corporate Theft Of Our Water

meanwhile, north of the border …..

‘As of today, environmental, social, and union groups from all over Canada will try to block a North American pact on Canada's water resources and other natural wealth that a handful of private sector oligarchs and the governments of Canada, the United States and Mexico are preparing behind closed doors in the framework of the North American Future 2025 Project.

For the Conseil des Canadiens [Council of Canadians] and the Coalition Eau Secours [Coalition for Water Aid] - two organizations that bring together dozens of union, social and environmental agencies - the Calgary meeting, which will bring together the partners in this project to "continentalize" resources, is, in reality, nothing but a disguised way for the United States to appropriate Canada's water resources, just as the country has already taken control of 50 percent of the Canadian gas and oil sectors - 70 percent of the production of which now feeds the energy bulimia of our southern neighbors.’

Preventing Massive Water Transfers

now, about rattus & his water boy malcolm ….

As I probe some ardent Howard supporters, I always discover a "malaise" below the glorified surface of the quick buck.

Most would admit that Howard's education policies have been a "disaster".  A massive "dumbing down" at all levels, but especially at tertiary education level — and personally mighty expensive to boot. Clever country no more, apart from a few bright spark who often have to move overseas to find funds or employment to suit their calibre. I also often have raised, since Howard came to power, the decline in general R&D, the appalling virtual dismantling of the CSIRO by neglect, and especially the demise of "pure" research in this country. No contest — All the Howard supporters agree...

When quizzed a bit more, what puzzle these ardent Howard-lovers (sounds like a slightly miffed pizza) is that unlike all other resource-rich country, Australia is flunking extremely badly on the trade deficit front. An F minus with a dunce hat, in the corner. Sure we are advised monthly that the trade balance is negative "because machinery was bought, new planes were bought and so forth", but in the end, month after month after month, we are spending faster than we earn, leaving Australia dangerously exposed to a shift in the economic dynamics of the world. Could these change? Even if they do not change immediately, some Howard-lovers "experts" think that before the end of next year is likely to see a financial crash or a time when dues will have to be paid with real hard cash. Cash we do not have since we are in debt to the tune of more than half a yearly government budget. Sure we could dig deep in our little pockets but there is a limit on how much we could flog without losing our trousers and our shirt.

On the tenuous property "boom", some Howard-lovers think Howard has to take responsibility for having given false hope to many, rather than a measured aspiration — having used the device of the false hope, amongst others things, to live off the fat of property speculation lining the government's coffers with reduction of services, while we all got into massive personal debt to make up for the shortfall (apart from the "lucky" investor)...

This is why Howard is hanging on like grim death to the urgent concept of exporting more and more coal, more and more of this or that stuff that comes out of a hole or a pipeline — because should this "dirt"-selling comes to a plateau (or even just below a 2 per cent yearly increase), the trade deficit would bulge double in no time. Howard's illusion of property prosperity would instantly appear for what it is: massive debt and troubles galore. The Howard supporters acknowledge that. They know they would be fools not to. The "superb" Howard economy is but a flimsy stack of cards, delicately poised on a rug that is slowly being pulled from under. The surpluses the government makes only highlight the fact Howard and his treasurer are stealing from the common good to bribe the rich with indecent tax cuts while our average proportional tax cut comes to about the value of a sandwich at a fast food chain, per week. The only "saving grace" (yet a delayed trouble in my opinion) is that the Chinese are prepared to manufacture anything we desire and dump it on our doorstep with a thank you note attached to it — for a sticker with an IOU written on it from our part.

The complexity here comes from the way the American dollar's fall is slowed down — while it should fall fast due to the Yanks' gigantic trade deficit — but for the perverse if not amusing fact that the Chinese have to buy US assets to protect the value of the money (in US dollars) paid to them for their goods, thus keeping the value of the said dollar above what it should be... But back to the Aussie riffraff....

The economic policies used by Howard have been based on dubious G8 and World Trade Organisation general nasty policies to privatise everything that moves or stand still — including water... Presently also in the US, state or council owned water utilities are being more or less forced to be sold to private enterprise by the US federal government (see blog above). That surgical operation is being attempted slowly by the Australian federal government as Howard and Turnbull placed 10 billion bucks on the table for the States to abandon their rights to water in the Murray-Darling Basin under the banner that "we can fix it". This, we are told, to pay off (compensate) farmers who were allocated more water than there were to be got — water that is there when it rains but absent in the droughts — as well some of that money would go to fix leaky pipes and irrigation canals (private enterprise of course doing the job), and place a few candles at the altar of the gods as we pray for rain. A shonk of course, as there is no need to "acquire" States Rights for this "fix", except for a demagogue's pleasure.

But as States Rights are "sold off" then water can easily "fall" into the hands of "privateers" who at first will run the sting on behalf of the Howard federal government, eventually getting the gig all to themselves to collect the toll as soon as someone turns a pump somewhere. The rivers become "private business". Private equity might come in thick and rule the water, not for the benefit of the country but for the secret equity members, without the public being able to scrutinise. In case of trouble we'll pay through the nose.

All in all, from stupidly following a warmonger into Iraq, via regressive gender policies and other dismantling of the public assets, to your home loan repayments — geared to interest rates "delayedly" geared to a trade deficit below the plimsoll line — plus a flimsy job security with less return due to the Howard's IR legislation, we, average good Australians, are personally getting deeper into a black hole — warming up of course, because we are told it's good for the national interest. Those who are struggling are already sunk but we do not hear from them much. The media does not give them a voice... That would be bad news for the advertisers. The charities taking care of these cannot say a bad word about the Howard government otherwise some of their funding would get cut. Under Howard's economic magic trick, only the good rich speculators rake in the dosh, while we're given the illusion we could do as well, despite the goal posts being moved further away every second day...

Bollocks to Howard's "aspirational prosperity" — his euphemism for spending the future with money we do not have — and for helping Australia become moronic on the intellectual front. I see the Howard Lovers nodding. They know I'm right... but they could not care less since they still can cash-load on the stocks. Pity. We need their hearts more than their cash, but then secretly they might give us the time of day. And help us get rid of him.

from the ABC

 

Govt hoarding water funds: ALP

Federal Opposition water spokesman Anthony Albanese says this week's Budget papers show the Government is not serious about the water crisis.

Mr Albanese says the Government has tried to win election-year points by committing $10 billion to major water projects but the Budget papers show it has been hoarding most of the money.

He says less than 0.5 per cent of the Government's $10 billion water plan has been allocated.

"John Howard can't have it both ways," he said.

"He can't acknowledge that we're in a water crisis and yet refuse to take real action and that is what is occurring.

"We know also that this week's Budget had no new initiative on climate change or the water crisis."

Mr Albanese says the Howard Government has only acknowledged the water crisis because it is an election year.

Democrats Senator Lyn Allison says it shows the Government's commitment to managing the water crisis is superficial.

"It's breathtaking the way he's pretended to be doing something about the water crisis but is just kicking around the issue for crass political gain," she said.

Mr Albanese says the Government fails to accept that the water crisis and climate change are inseparable.

Murray-Darling facing 'another crisis'

The Federal Opposition water spokesman, Anthony Albanese, says urgent action is required to solve water shortages along the Murray-Darling basin.

The Federal Government's inquiry into agriculture in northern Australia has raised concerns that the amount of water flowing into the system has been overstated by 40 per cent due to an error in counting ground water levels.

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Gus: And Malcolm, the minister for Dripping taps and Surfaces assures us "it's been common knowledge for some time"... "What we are doing at the moment is getting an understanding of the particular situation in particular valleys"...

As if that should not have been done a hundred years ago... There are some scratchy black and white docos in film archives made in the late 1940s already stating the water problem and devastation of the environment. There was countless exposes during the 70s and the 1980s about the salination of lands, heaps of alarm bells rungadung in the 1990s and early 20noughtys... and we're still in the stage of "getting an understanding"? Come on! Get off the planet!

 

From the ABC

Murray-Darling unknowns worse than thought, says expert

A leading Australian river ecologist says ground water is not the only thing missing from an account of the total water in the Murray-Darling Basin.

The Liberal Senator, Bill Heffernan, has suggested that the amount of water in the Murray-Darling may have been overestimated by as much as 40 per cent, because ground water has been accounted for separately from surface water, although the systems are linked.

But Professor Richard Kingsford from the University of New South Wales' School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Science, says the amount of water extracted from tributaries, in farm dams and in floods is also unknown.

Prof Kingsford says he was not really surprised by Senator Heffernan's statement that the amount of water flowing into the Murray Darling system had been overestimated.

"One of the things that we're beginning to realise is that it's quite difficult to name exactly how much water is in there," he said.

"And the flipside to that is that we don't really know how much is being taken out of the system."

He says water managers need to know where the reservoirs, such as ground water and wetlands, are.

He also says no one really knows how much water is being diverted from the unregulated areas, where the tributaries are.

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Gus: all this to say that "expert", for many years, have fiddled the books? See blog above... 

 

From the ABC

Rudd hits Govt on Murray-Darling secrecy

Federal Labor leader Kevin Rudd says he is increasingly concerned about the Government's $10 billion plan to take control of the Murray-Darling basin.

The Government has knocked back a Freedom of Information request for the release of documents related to the proposal, citing a potential threat to relations between it and the states.

The request, from a commercial TV network, unearthed just 22 Government documents relating to the scheme - all of which were withheld.

"I believe [Federal Water Resources Minister Malcolm Turnbull] Is looking for every political excuse he can find not to be transparent with the Australian people on a $10 billion proposal which affects so many farmers and irrigators across Australia," Mr Rudd said.

"Mr Turnbull has got a responsibility to come clean with the Australian public about whether this $10 billion has been properly invested or not."

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie has also disputed the Government's reasons for refusing to release details.

Mr Turnbull says he is still in delicate negotiations with the states, but Mr Beattie says he is not aware of any.

"I release the Prime Minister," he said.

"That is, I'm prepared to let him release any sensitive documents that he has, that may involve Queensland.

"So I say to the Prime Minister you have my release. If you are worried about me being injured and in some way offended, I will not be."

 

The new Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, has agreed to delay the auction of 8000 megalitres of water from the Warrego River for at least two weeks after being placed under pressure by the federal Minister for the Environment, Malcolm Turnbull.

Mr Turnbull, who supports NSW graziers and conservationists opposed to the sale, said: "In my view it would be better if the sale is cancelled, full stop. It just doesn't make any sense to be selling water, even if it is consistent with the Queensland water plan."

The Warrego auction, the last on the Murray-Darling system, was to be held next week despite a campaign from graziers and conservationists who feared it would damage flood-plain properties and bird-breeding wetlands in NSW.

Ms Bligh yesterday said she had delayed the auction after writing to the Prime Minister, John Howard, urgently seeking clarification of his position.

In March Mr Howard told the then premier, Peter Beattie, that the Federal Government had approved the auction during negotiations on the $10 billion Murray-Darling water plan.

Bligh Puts Brakes On Water Auction