Lurching from one water crisis to the next

Once the Nathan Dam is built, it will encourage new industries to open around the mines in the Surat Basin. They cannot even be considered at present because there is not enough water, consequently some excellent projects remain dormant. To ignore this need is irresponsible.

 

Further north, a diversion into the southerly diversion of the Mitchell River, which currently carries trillions of gallons of water yearly out into the Gulf of Carpentaria, would enable the rich black soil land from Hughenden to Longreach to become the “salad bowl” for Asia, but, disgracefully, no one except political maverick, Bob Katter, gives it a moment’s thought.

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Further south, a diversion of the Clarence River near Grafton would open up the Western Plains of New South Wales for great development. Dr Bradfield, builder of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, planned this project 70 years ago, but successive governments have allowed his vision to gather cobwebs because the Grafton region is a marginal seat in both the Federal and State Parliaments and neither side of politics is willing to take the political risk.

 

It is going to take a brave and powerful politician to tackle all the great issues of our use and reuse of water, but the hour glass is running low. The time to find and empower such a leader is right now.

 

It is not over dramatic to say that failure to do so will place all Australians in immediate peril.