From the ABCDE

PM won't seize water control
The Prime Minister says he does not intend to take control of water management from the states and territories.

John Howard says just because he is creating a new Office for Water Resources does not mean he is out to seize power from the states.

He has also backed the public servant appointed to head the office, despite his recent sacking from a South Australian Government department.
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Gus: If you believe what Johnnee says, then I give up... What I think he means of course is that he will influence outcomes, to enforce the way water resources are managed while getting someone else to pay for the plans whether they work or not (they mostly wont, not doing much more than give cotton farmers and uranium miners what they ask for).
All's well as long as he gives the illusion of doing something — like a fly buzzing around the arse of horse, thinking it's helping the carriage move forward... I hope I'm wrong.

From yours and mine ABC

PM hits out at Murray Darling Basin efforts
The Prime Minister, John Howard, has accused the Labor governments in the eastern states of not doing enough to address the Murray Darling Basin's environmental problems.

It comes as the Commonwealth sets up a new Office of Water Resources, sparking suggestions it is taking steps to take over control of water from the states.

But Mr Howard says he prefers to cooperate with the states.

"But it's got to be collaboration that makes progress," he said.

"I'm very unhappy with the Murray Darling Basin.

etc

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Gus: Watch little Johnnee for the grab-all punch-line of the poker-water game.... If he says he won't, there is a good chance he will...

from our ABC

 Senator Heffernan says terrible water management mistakes have been made in the south.

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Gus: And the Senator wants to repeat the same blunders in the north!

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from the ABC

Task force to harness Top End water

The head of the Prime Minister's new task force on north Australia's water resources says the country's Top End has been ignored for too long.

Senator Bill Heffernan says 60 per cent of Australia's run-off flows through three major catchments in the north and he wants to look at how that can be harnessed.

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Gus: Here goes nature and the environment down the gurgler at high speed despite some goldly assurances from the Senator...

I can assure you that within 10 years of starting "his" scheme, salination would be a major problem, the loss of habitats for wildlife would be severe and a multitude of other problems would come forth, not counting the enormous amount of super-phosphate having to be used, herbicides and insecticides, until more extinction of species would come by the bucket load... etc and then, storms, droughts, evaporation, lean red soils and salt would eventually kill off the farming the same way as these factors singularly are in many part of the country... But as a job lot we will end up with a desert more desertic that the Sahara... Kununara and the ord river scheme is not the way to go everywhere...

 

Yep, as predicted the rodent who said he prefers to cooperate with the states, has not even asked one sate premier with his new 10 billion dollar mirage of a water policy...  see a couple of blogs above...

"Watch little Johnnee for the grab-all punch-line of the poker-water game.... If he says he won't, there is a good chance he will..."

He did... 

See cartoon at top of this line of blogs and the watery comment below... When Johnnee says sumpthin', be assured that he means the opposite, with a double dose of artful-dodger Oliver twist...

from everyone's favourite Auntie...

Agriculture push north risky, warns scientist
A leading agricultural scientist says progress in solving the nation's water problems has been too slow and warns there are risks involved with moving farming north.

The CSIRO's former chief agricultural scientist, Dr John Williams, says there has not been enough action since the national water initiative was set out in 2003.

But Dr Williams, who now works with the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, has told ABC Radio's AM program the Federal Government's $10 billion water management strategy will go a long way towards helping implement the plan.

"But also to look at management options which may drive the change because since 2003, which set out the national water initiative, I think everyone agrees our progress in solving the problem has been far, far too slow," he said.

Dr Williams also warns moving the nation's agriculture north to take advantage of rainfall will be a challenging task.

He says any move north must be done in a careful scientific manner.

"I would say that northern Australia, while it does have a lot of water, if we're not very careful we'll just duplicate the same over-extractions and difficulties that we've done in the south," he said.

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Gus: in a previous blog above, bulldozers ahead, Gus — a mad know-all and a silly builder-of-everything — already noted a list of problems on this subject, reasonably long list but not definitive... keep adding on it.

From the ABC

 

Water cash hinges on federal control: PM

The Prime Minister's request to take over the Murray-Darling Basin will be sent to state premiers this week.

John Howard has told Southern Cross Radio his letter will say he will spend $10 billion - but only if they let the Federal Government take control of the river system.

"We will do these things if we can be certain that we can make it happen," he said.

One part of the package has angered some Nationals, including Barnaby Joyce, who warns the $3 billion for buying back water licences should not mean compulsorily buybacks.

"If it's compulsory acquisition - that is not the way to do business," he said.

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Gus: I believe our PM wants to control the money because there is a good change he's got a few private enterprises to give money to... Consultants, "experts", etc... Cowboys of the gabfest who would charge like wounded bulls for "new" reports of no real value than the bleeding obvious, unlike State public service personnel who already know the conundrums and can do the same job for a fraction of the cost... But then the state would have the dough... an anathema to our manic controller in chief.