MEDIA RELEASE FROM CRAIG INGRAM MP - MEMBER FOR GIPPSLAND EAST Issued: Thursday 13 December 2007

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Ingram welcomes belated Snowy Water Licence five-year review

The Independent Member for Gippsland East, Craig Ingram, has today welcomed the late announcement of a five-year review of the adequacy of the Snowy Water Licence.

“The NSW Government has released the terms of reference and submission deadline for the review and I encourage anyone interested in making a submission to do so,” Mr Ingram said today.

“It is disappointing that the NSW Government has taken so long to acknowledge that it was required to conduct the review and in doing will be not able to meet the timeline requirements under the legislation.

“In the review documentation, the NSW Government acknowledges that the review and the implementation of the findings should be completed before 30 November 2007 - a date that has already passed.

“I will be using the review process to highlight the inadequacies, flaws and Snowy Hydro’s questionable interpretation of the Snowy Water Licence.

“Another issue that will be front and centre in my submission is the government’s decision to turn off flows down the Mowamba.

“The review will be seriously compromised by the failure of the NSW Government to establish the Snowy Scientific Committee, which was required to provide environmental reports for the Snowy River over the past five years to assist the review process.

“As the committee still does not exist, the reports and required independent environmental assessments have not been conducted.

“The three shareholding governments now have the opportunity to deliver on their public commitments and statements to the Snowy River and this review is a perfect vehicle to address their failings,” Mr Ingram concluded.