I note with interest Minister Crean’s comments today to the good people of Narrabri on the resignation of Mike Taylor, Chairman of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, where he stated that:
We disagree with the view that the legislation didn't require the socio-economic consequences to be taken account of and that's what we're now redressing.[1]
It is interesting because less than two months ago, on 15th October, Simon Crean told ABC radio:
That guide was limited because the terms of reference it got in the very first instance - and I might say terms of reference that were given to it by a Liberal government when Malcolm Turnbull was the environment minister - didn't allow for sufficient consideration of what's referred to as the socio-economic consequences; in short hand the human cost.[2]
Simon Crean needs to come clean and reveal how he has come to have such a conversion, when the Chairman of the MDBA, relying on the same legal advice from the same Australian Government Solicitor, clearly hasn’t.
This government must stop taking the people of the Murray-Darling Basin for a ride. They seem to think that they can fudge, obscure and slide their way past their concerns.
I have a greater confidence in the people to see a politician when he is coming.
Let’s end the blame game Simon and get on with the job of delivering the basin plan we both promised, a triple-bottom line approach: balancing economic, social and environmental ramifications.
Let’s release all the legal advice, let’s have a proper investigation of the Water Act and let’s get on with the job.