The Greens have said today that Barnaby Joyce is a danger to the river and the Government is at real risk of locking in environmental failure if it weakens the Murray Darling Basin Plan at the demand of the Coalition.

“Barnaby Joyce is hoping to make a deal with the Government that would line the pockets of big irrigators while condemning the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth to environmental failure,” Greens’ Murray Darling spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Australian Greens are urging people to listen to the experts and see through the Government’s spin on the recently announced changes to the Murray Darling Basin Plan.

 “The Federal Government’s fudging of the figures when it comes to the Murray Darling Basin Plan is being laid bare for all to see,” the Greens’ Murray Darling spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Australian Greens are calling for more urgent work to be done on the Basin Plan as the Prime Minister, Environment Minister and SA Premier celebrate a Basin Plan which still starts at 2750GL and won’t keep the Basin healthy.

 “We shouldn’t be setting a limit on what we can do to save the river when it will guarantee environmental failure,” said Greens’ Water and Murray Darling Basin spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

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.

Australian Greens leader Senator Christine Milne, and Greens spokesperson for the Murray Darling Basin, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young held a press conference to respond to the Murray Darling Basin Authority report.

Please see the transcript of their statements below. The audio file provides the full audio with the questions and answers.

Transcript:

Christine Milne:                      

The Senate has today passed a Greens' motion ordering the government to produce documents on the legal advice of the Murray Darling Basin Authority's plan to manage the river system.

"The Greens are continuing to fight for the Murray Darling in the parliament so Australians can see on what grounds the government is making its decisions about the plan," Greens' water and Murray Darling Basin spokesperson, Sen. Hanson-Young, said.

"We are eager for the government to act on the Senate's decision.

The South Australian government should find ways to keep open the Cadell ferry over the River Murray because Riverland communities need infrastructure improvements not knockbacks, the Australian Greens said today.

"Adding 20km to a trip may seem insignificant to the Transport Department in Adelaide, but it's unfair for communities like Cadell which have battled the drought and need reliable services like the ferry," South Australian Greens' Senator and Murray Darling Basin spokesperson, Sarah Hanson-Young, said.

After 20 weeks of consultations and assurances it was listening to the community's views, the Murray Darling Basin Authority's revised draft plan is still flawed and still fails the river system, the Australian Greens said today.

"Australians who believed the Murray Darling Basin Authority were supposed to be coming up with a strategy to correct the over-allocation of water and return the river to health for the long-term will be extremely disappointed," Greens' water & Murray Darling Basin spokesperson, Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young, said.

Sarah spoke to journalists in the Senate courtyard on the Murray Darling Basin Authority's revised draft plan.