Howard-Turnbull game plan?

              HOW TO STEAL A WATER SOURCE

 

1. Be ever mindful that truth should not be allowed to hamper political goals. 

2. Keep repeating the mantra that States have the ultimate responsibility to provide secure and sustainable water supplies to Australian towns and cities.

3. Sadly inform anyone who will listen that State Labor governments are seriously failing this responsibility.

4. Insist that, in the public interest, the Commonwealth needs to further investigate all current water diversion options on their merits before it undertakes future planning to secure Australia's water supplies or before new water investments are undertaken.

5. Make a spurious approach to the NSW Government over the issue of NSW Northern Rivers catchments.

6. If the NSW Labor Government resists this approach, suspend all future funding of water supply schemes within the state.

7. Call a Friday media conference and announce that the Commonwealth will be forced to enact legislation transferring control of waters in all or some NSW Northern Rivers catchment areas, in order to ensure a national holistic approach to Australian water supply.

Being sure to point out that the Federal Government believes this is also a fiscally responsible move as an integrated (possibly interstate) water supply, controlled by the Commonwealth, will be cheaper to establish and operate than separate State schemes.

8. If the Queensland Government refuses to endorse this move or fails to cooperate, threaten to cease further water project funding in Queensland and also threaten to take total control of the Border Rivers catchments.

9. Above all, ensure that all decisions, concerning potential Clarence River water diversion, are made using a bureaucratic, top-down model which will remove Clarence Valley residents from any meaningful dialogue over the fate of the Clarence River, its tributaries, communities and industries.