Further Federal support for Food and our independent, catchment-wide water study

The latest high profile visitor during the Caroona Blockade’s 15th week was Bob Brown, Leader of the Greens, accompanied by Independent MP Tony Windsor.  Senator Brown, champion of many environmental campaigns, spoke thoughtfully to the gathering of farmers, locals and mayors about the increasing loss of farming land around the world and the pressures of population growth on food supplies.

Turning to the threat to our water supplies, Senator Brown said: “I have committed to ensuring that there is an independent study on the effect of mining on the aquifer when the Federal Government’s Water Amendment Bill comes through the Senate [and] I am hopeful that the support of the Greens, Independent Senators and Coalition will mean that the Federal Government must look at completing this independent study before BHP’s exploration or mining goes ahead.”

 Mr Windsor also enlightened Shenhua coal, holders of the Watermark exploration licence, last week that the Federal government now had input on water assets within the Murray Darling Basin, as control of such water was no longer only a State issue.  It appears the State government may not have made this inconvenient detail clear to the Chinese resource company.