22 November, 2012: Federal Water Minister Tony Burke signed the Basin Plan into law today, less than 24 hours after receiving the latest draft from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.
The final plan contained everything that Mr Burke asked the Authority to include when he sent it his final changes at the beginning of November.
Under the watchful eye of Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Burke signed the Basin Plan into law at lunchtime on Thursday.
In a speech at the National Press Club, Burke said “The environment, when it turned up to the negotiating table, turned out to be more ruthless and less compromising than any of the states; the environment turned up at the negotiating table and said, ‘if you’re going to manage the rivers this way then none of you can have the water’
“Effectively the rivers decided that if we were going to manage the water as if it stopped at state boundaries, then the water was willing to stop”.
Funny guy.
“Today, under the Gillard Government, a century late but hopefully just in time, Australia has its first Murray-Darling Basin Plan”.
Source: ABC Rural
