ID :
84463
Wed, 10/14/2009 - 13:04
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/84463
The shortlink copeid
Murray Basin delays 'cost money, jobs'
(AAP) - Farmers are fed up with the political bickering over water as a report shows infrastructure approval delays for water-saving projects are costing money and jobs.
The federal government set aside $3.7 billion in July 2008 to help irrigators along
the troubled Murray-Darling Basin save water.
More than a year later less than one per cent of the funds have been spent.
The Rudd government blames the states for the hold-ups.
Farmers want the political bickering to stop, and have called on Canberra to focus
more on improving water works as it continues to buy back water entitlements.
Delays in rolling out the projects are denying regional Australia the economic
benefits of new water infrastructure and flow-on job creation, economic consultancy
ACIL Tasman said in the report commissioned by pipes manufacturer Crane Group
Limited.
Amid the political argy-bargy, only $30 million has been spent of the $3.7 billion
water infrastructure funding.
Water Minister Penny Wong said the Murray-Darling Basin states - NSW, Victoria,
South Australia and Queensland - were taking their time to approve projects.
"Given the scale and scope of all basin state priority projects, good planning is an
essential prerequisite and unfortunately this takes time," she told AAP through a
spokeswoman.
But the NSW Irrigators Council said Canberra was to blame for asking NSW to pay 10
per cent of project costs, a demand that was not part of the original water
agreement.
"The two ministers need to sort it out and get on with it," chief executive Andrew
Gregson told AAP.
"We know large-scale infrastructure projects take time but it's starting to get silly."
National Farmers Federation chief executive Ben Fargher said the political
skirmishes were frustrating farmers.
"There's too much focus on the buybacks but not enough on the infrastructure," he
told AAP.
"This has frustrated our people. We've seen promises made but we have seen the money
tied up by the states."
Crane Group managing director Greg Sedgwick said that with engineering construction
firms affected by the global financial crisis, spending on water infrastructure
would create jobs.
"Here's an opportunity to spend money stimulating the economy and save water in
regional Australia at the same time," he said.
"Shovel-ready" projects in NSW, Victoria and South Australia had waited too long for
funding and would be a better investment than water buybacks, he added.
The report estimated that $56 million spent on upgrading Lake Wyangan, in the NSW
Riverina region, would generate economic benefits and water savings worth $165
million.
It said the project would create 768 jobs nationally in the pipeline manufacturing,
transport, machinery and equipment sectors.
Opposition water spokesman Greg Hunt said infrastructure to minimise water losses
needed to be given priority over "phantom" water entitlement buybacks.
The federal government set aside $3.7 billion in July 2008 to help irrigators along
the troubled Murray-Darling Basin save water.
More than a year later less than one per cent of the funds have been spent.
The Rudd government blames the states for the hold-ups.
Farmers want the political bickering to stop, and have called on Canberra to focus
more on improving water works as it continues to buy back water entitlements.
Delays in rolling out the projects are denying regional Australia the economic
benefits of new water infrastructure and flow-on job creation, economic consultancy
ACIL Tasman said in the report commissioned by pipes manufacturer Crane Group
Limited.
Amid the political argy-bargy, only $30 million has been spent of the $3.7 billion
water infrastructure funding.
Water Minister Penny Wong said the Murray-Darling Basin states - NSW, Victoria,
South Australia and Queensland - were taking their time to approve projects.
"Given the scale and scope of all basin state priority projects, good planning is an
essential prerequisite and unfortunately this takes time," she told AAP through a
spokeswoman.
But the NSW Irrigators Council said Canberra was to blame for asking NSW to pay 10
per cent of project costs, a demand that was not part of the original water
agreement.
"The two ministers need to sort it out and get on with it," chief executive Andrew
Gregson told AAP.
"We know large-scale infrastructure projects take time but it's starting to get silly."
National Farmers Federation chief executive Ben Fargher said the political
skirmishes were frustrating farmers.
"There's too much focus on the buybacks but not enough on the infrastructure," he
told AAP.
"This has frustrated our people. We've seen promises made but we have seen the money
tied up by the states."
Crane Group managing director Greg Sedgwick said that with engineering construction
firms affected by the global financial crisis, spending on water infrastructure
would create jobs.
"Here's an opportunity to spend money stimulating the economy and save water in
regional Australia at the same time," he said.
"Shovel-ready" projects in NSW, Victoria and South Australia had waited too long for
funding and would be a better investment than water buybacks, he added.
The report estimated that $56 million spent on upgrading Lake Wyangan, in the NSW
Riverina region, would generate economic benefits and water savings worth $165
million.
It said the project would create 768 jobs nationally in the pipeline manufacturing,
transport, machinery and equipment sectors.
Opposition water spokesman Greg Hunt said infrastructure to minimise water losses
needed to be given priority over "phantom" water entitlement buybacks.
