Rumour hath it............(9)

Rumour says that Alexandrina Council and other Lower Murray council members of the Murray Darling Association stepped back from their original intention to call for the progression of a Clarence River water diversion scheme and, that a much broader resolution was placed before the Association's 2007 conference in Bourke this month.

Apparently this broad resolution only called for the Murray Darling Association to monitor any inland water diversion schemes involving coastal rivers and report back to members.

Rumour further has it that Malcolm Turnbull is yet to reply to the Association's pre-conference letter asking him if he had a view on Clarence water diversion.

The NSW Water Minister, Phil Koperberg, is said to responded to a similar letter with a statement to the effect that water diversion from the Clarence River would not be considered.

It seems that some, but not all, members of the Murray Darling Association are beginning to realise that coastal river systems are as highly variable and fragile as inland systems and are looking to negative impacts on the Snowy River as an example.