The Murray-Darling Basin, the largest river system in Australia, is sick.
A century of pumping too much water out of the rivers has had a devastating impact on the waterways, river communities, lakes and wetlands.
Internationally significant wetlands like the Coorong and Menindee Lakes are at risk of collapse, threatening migratory birds that travel from Siberia and Alaska. National icons like the Murray Cod and Golden Perch face extinction without urgent action to keep the rivers alive.
This recent drought has brought on calls to sell water for the environment back to irrigators. This water was purchased by tax payers to keep rivers alive and is essential for the long term survival of our rivers.
David Littleproud, Niall Blair & Lisa Neville must use water for the environment for its original purpose. Keep rivers flowing and flood wetlands so that fish, birds, plants and animals can survive and keep our rivers healthy.
Sign here to tell Australian Water Ministers A Dead River Hurts Us All.
Attention Water Ministers - David Littleproud, Niall Blair & Lisa Neville
Modern resource management has changed the course of rivers and removed all but a fraction of the water that was once available in our mighty rivers, which has dramatically altered the landscape in the Murray Darling Basin. Over extraction of rivers in the Murray Darling Basin has left vast stretches of the forest, wetland and floodplain struggling without the water required to keep it in good health.
The millennium drought almost killed the river, so water for the environment was purchased by us, the tax payers, for billions of dollars to restore the health of the Murray Darling and protect it through future droughts.
The current drought facing the country has brought calls to sell water for the environment back to irrigators. This is against the law and against the interests of communities, fish and wildlife.
Drought is a reality we face by living in this country. Many natural areas would have continued to flood, even through times of drought. Removing their water now is risking the health of the entire Murray Darling.
Nobody benefits when we kill the river
It is essential to use water for the environment for its intended purpose, to ensure the long term survival of our rivers and our communities along the river.
We call on our water ministers to implement robust, long term policies to protect our great rivers.
This means:
- Using environmental water for our wetlands and floodplains, even through times of drought
- Stopping theft of water for the environment
- Recovering the full amount of water required to restore the health of the River