Snowy flows anniversary - celebration or commiseration?

Independent Member for Gippsland East, Craig Ingram, joined with members of the Snowy River Alliance on Sunday to commemorate the fifth anniversary of flows restored to the Snowy River.

“The flows are not just environmentally important to the Snowy River they are extremely important as a symbol of river restoration as the first major environmental flow release in Australia,” Mr Ingram said.

“A good crowd of about 100 hundred attended the day, many of whom attended the first release joined the event to add their continued support to increased environmental flows.

“Snowy Hydro Limited and the NSW Government have shown absolute contempt to the river and the communities of the Snowy in their treatment of the environmental flows.

“This started with turning off flows down the Mowamba Weir and the actions that lead to the pollution event at Jindabyne Dam.

“A sense of disappointment is clearly evident that the promises and commitments made on the banks on the Moonbah River five years ago by the three governments have evaporated.

“I joined the chair of the Snowy River Alliance, John Gallard, and Mayor of the Snowy River Shire, Richard Wallace, in laying a wreath in memory of the flows,” Mr Ingram said.

The gathering at the weir was followed by a barbecue lunch at Dalgety and the annual general meeting of the Snowy River Alliance.

Other concerns addressed on the day were the continued failure of the three governments to implement the promises and commitments, particularly those contained in either legislation or the inter-government agreements like the:

• establishment of the Snowy Scientific Committee;
• the annual State of the Environment reports;
• the impact of government policies in the Murray on water savings;
• the delivery of environmental flows; and
• the promise that the environmental degradation and destruction of our river systems was being addressed.

“The Snowy River Alliance has made it clear that they will continue to lobby and actively work until these issues are satisfactorily resolved,” Mr Ingram concluded.