The Australian Greens will be moving to improve the inadequate Plan that was revealed by Tony Burke today.

 “This is a Plan for big irrigators and not the environment,” the Greens Murray Darling spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

“It is disappointing that the Government has decided to do a deal with the Coalition and upstream irrigators rather than taking the opportunity to work with the Greens and save the river from environmental collapse.

Today’s modelling released by the Murray Darling Basin Authority has shown that the earlier figure of 2750GL/y was unacceptable, highlighting the fact that more needs to be done before a Plan can be agreed to, according to the Australian Greens.

 “The MDBA’s analysis of a 3200GL/y environmental return shows that the much touted earlier figure of 2750GL/y was inadequate and that further scientific study must be carried out,” Greens spokesperson for the Murray Darling Basin, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Government must heed the advice of environmental experts who today published an article showing that the proposed Murray Darling Basin Plan would be both ineffectual and illegal, the Australian Greens say.

 “The Greens welcome the work of all environmental and legal groups across Australia who are working to expose the catastrophic impact a substandard Murray Darling Basin Plan would have,” Greens spokesperson for the Murray Darling Basin, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.