Fixing the Basin isnt complicated

IT just takes common sense, Here’s how we do it:

Step 1: Stop water buybacks.

It was once illegal for the Federal Government to buy water from the Murray-Darling Basin if it hurt rural communities. But Labor quietly scrapped this law, allowing water buybacks that will destroy our towns and allow the food bowl of Australia to crumble. This must stop.

Step 2: Stop wasting water in South Australia’s Lower Lakes

The entire system is rigged to funnel fresh water into South Australia’s Lower Lakes—fake lakes that were historically estuarine, naturally mixing fresh and saltwater. Instead of draining the basin to keep these lakes artificially fresh, we need to return them to their natural estuarine state.

Step 3: Make South Australia self-sufficient.

South Australia has a desalination plant capable of supplying half the state’s water needs. So why is it barely used? Instead of stealing water from upstream farmers, SA must start making its own water.

Step 4: Accurately count every drop.

Water accounting in the basin is a disaster. We need accurate water meters, real-time monitoring of the northern floodplain harvesting, and real measurements—not estimates of environmental flows. Without transparency, waste will continue.

Step 5: Improve water quality.

The Government obsesses over water volume but ignores water quality. Carp infestations are destroying our rivers, yet we have a virus that could fix the problem—but politicians won’t act. It’s time to fix our water, not just count it.

Step 6: Ban government-induced flooding of private land.

The Federal Government wants to flood private properties to meet its water recovery targets. This reckless plan will devastate farmers and regional communities. It must be stopped.

Step 7: Increase storage capacity.

We need more water storage across the system. That means expanding the capacity of Burrinjuck Dam and utilising existing downstream storage solutions such as Lake Coolah. More storage means better drought protection.

These seven simple steps are what is needed to save the Murray-Darling Basin, not this expensive and harmful Just Add water Policy the Government insists on.

I demand real change to see real results.

Digital Editions


  • Guilty plea for family violence

    Guilty plea for family violence

    A MAN has been given a community corrections order after pleading guilty to family violence offences. The Mildura Magistrates’ Court heard the 25-year-old male had…

More News

  • Drone festival to light the way for Bash

    AS a lead-in to the Mundi Mundi Bash, Broken Hill will host a free three-night light and drone festival this August, with hundreds of drones set to illuminate Argent Street…

  • Hughesy brings pain and punchlines

    Hughesy brings pain and punchlines

    FOOTBALL injuries, near-death scares and the absurdity of modern life are all on the bill as Dave Hughes heads back to Swan Hill with a show forged in pain and…

  • Do you know an outstanding nurse or midwife?

    Do you know an outstanding nurse or midwife?

    PATIENTS, families and carers across the Far West are being encouraged to nominate an outstanding local nurse or midwife for the 2026 Far West Local Health District Nursing and Midwifery…

  • Jackson named employee of the month

    Jackson named employee of the month

    APPRENTICE carpenter and quiet achiever, Jackson Bowden, has been named March employee of the month as part of Sunraysia Regional Consulting’s Indigenous Employment Program. Mr Bowden, who started working for…

  • Strings’ show is out of this world

    Strings’ show is out of this world

    WHAT do E.T. and the Mildura District Orchestra have in common? Band members will perform Earth and Beyond at Mildura Arts Centre on Saturday, 9 May, playing the movie’s theme…

  • In tune with community choir

    In tune with community choir

    SONGWRITER and lyricist, James Weldon Johnson, once said: “No nights are dark, no days are long, while in my heart there swells a song”. Maeve Francis, the conductor for the…

  • Paint sized fun at art class

    Paint sized fun at art class

    SUNRAYSIA Arts and Learning at Merbein has created a safe, inclusive space on Thursday afternoons during term two for budding young artists to unleash their creativity with paint, pencils, clay,…

  • Fuel supply not problem – Wentworth Shire Council meeting briefs

    Fuel supply not problem – Wentworth Shire Council meeting briefs

    THE fuel crisis is not expected to affect Wentworth Council day-to-day operations. In response to a question posed by Cr Brian Beaumont at the April regular meeting in regard to…

  • Thanks for neighbours and community after fire

    Thanks for neighbours and community after fire

    A MILDURA family is on the road to recovery after their Hector Street home was destroyed in a fire believed to have been caused by an electrical fault. The blaze…

  • Peeps into the Past – 12 to 18 April: A place to remember

    Peeps into the Past – 12 to 18 April: A place to remember

    PRESENTED by Mildura and District Historical Society and compiled by Judy Hyde for Mildura Rural City Council Libraries. 100 YEARS AGO CURRANTS: Currants have this year been a good crop,…