Water

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young says the agreement by state and
federal water ministers today to flood the Murray's lower lakes with
seawater in a worst-case scenario of low rainfall is an environmentally,
socially and economically disastrous option that should not be
considered.

Senator Hanson-Young said there were better options than saltwater

				Environment Minister Peter Garrett has
ordered an urgent review of works being carried out at the Traveston Dam
site on the Mary River in Queensland, prompted by a question from
Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown.
				Senator Brown has raised concerns that
some 20,000m3 of dirt is being dug from the site where the dam is

The Australian Greens today expressed concern about the Government's Commonwealth Water Act, saying there is a need for further work in the detail.

"The Greens are concerned that this legislation will not deliver the reform needed to solve the Murray-Darling water crisis," said Senator Rachel Siewert today.

BHP should listen to the concerns of local farmers and put the Liverpool
Plains food bowl ahead of its insatiable appetite for coal, Australian
Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown said today.

Senator Brown today visited the site of a farmers' protest blockade at
Caroona, near Tamworth in NSW, with Independent Member for New England,

The Senate today passed a motion by Greens Leader Bob Brown:

"That the Senate-

The Australian Greens today welcomed the legal case launched by the Wide Bay Burnett Conservation Council against Burnett Water over the Paradise Dam in Queensland.

"The Paradise Dam on Burnett River is being held up as the model for the planned dam at Traveston Crossing on the Mary River," said Senator Rachel Siewert today.

The Senate today passed an Australian Greens motion condemning the decision by Environment Minister Peter Garrett to give approval to the Sugarloaf Pipeline under the provisions of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

The approval of the Sugarloaf Pipeline by Environment Minister Peter Garrett is a serious error which has major consequences for the water security of the threatened communities and environments of the Murray Darling Basin, say the Australian Greens.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has welcomed the Federal and New South Wales Governments' purchase of Toorale Station as a necessary step in saving the Murray-Darling Basin, and says legislative provisions must now be utilised to ensure that water reaches the parts of the river that need it.

"The purchase of Toorale Station by the Commonwealth and NSW Governments is an important step in the process of restoring sustainable flows to the Murray Darling system," Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens water spokesperson said today.