The Liberal National Government must stand up to greedy corporate irrigators and the cotton industry by stopping them from taking more than their fair share, and support a Royal Commission, the Greens say.

Reports that the South Australian Government may prevent the SA Murray Darling Basin Royal Commission’s final report from being made public show a contempt for the Australian people, and the need for an urgent federal Royal Commission into the Murray Darling Basin, the Greens say.

Greens Senator for NSW, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, will visit Broken Hill and Menindee tomorrow (17 January) to meet with locals and see first hand the devastation occuring in the Murray Darling system as a result of mismanagement and climate change. Senator Faruqi is a civil and environmental engineer who has worked on water management for the last two decades.

Senator Faruqi will also meet the Broken Hill Greens Convenor, Eve-Lyn Kennedy. Senator Faruqi will be available for media on Thursday and on Friday morning.

Senator Faruqi said:

The Liberal National Government are hiding critical information about draining the Menindee Lakes twice in three years, the Greens say.

“The Government’s refusal to release this information, by order of the Senate, stinks of a cover-up and puts them in contempt of the Senate,” Greens water and environment spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Greens have responded to the release of a secret Ernst & Young Audit report that has shown state governments, including South Australia have been mismanaging taxpayer funded environmental water throughout the Murray-Darling Basin, creating “unique fraud risks”.

“This audit shows the environment and taxpayers continue to be ripped off by both State and Federal Governments, including here in South Australia,” Greens spokesperson for Environment & Water Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Australian Greens are calling on the South Australian Water Minister to come home from Friday’s Ministerial Council meeting with a commitment of the delivery of the 450GL promised to South Australia.

“South Australia mustn’t give in to the bullying from Victoria and New South Wales. Minister Speirs must fight for the delivery of the 450GL of water that South Australia’s was promised,” Greens water spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Labor and Liberal parties have refused to support including the impacts of climate change in the flawed Murray Darling Basin Plan in the Senate today.

“Labor says they’re taking climate change seriously, but they refuse to acknowledge it affects the Murray Darling Basin,” Greens water spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

“A party that takes climate change seriously does not side with an anti-science, climate denying Government to sell out the Murray.

The final submission to the Murray Darling Basin Royal Commission will send shockwaves throughout Basin communities and should be seen as a warning signal to those doing the wrong thing in water bureaucracy, state and federal governments and corporate irrigation. 

“The Murray Darling Basin Authority has set the Murray Darling Basin Plan up to fail,” Greens water spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said. 

Greens environment and water spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young will today write to the Auditor-General to investigate reports of more scandal in the National Party.

“Reports that the National Party executive was paid $850,000 for drought-proofing that never eventuated are serious allegations. Today I will be referring this to the Auditor-General for investigation,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

The Greens have welcomed the strong statement from former environmental water holder David Papps on the incompetence of Barnaby Joyce and the Nationals.

“David Papps has belled the cat on the danger this Government is to the Murray Darling Basin and the environment,” Greens Murray Darling Basin spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

“It’s clear the National’s goal is to strip water off the environment and the Greens will stand up and stop them.