MEMBER for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan MP was in the spotlight yesterday as he stood in Parliament during Question Time and took the government to task for allowing valuable crops to be subjected to deliberate flooding.
The NSW Government was put on the spot by the MP when he raised the serious problem of flooding caused to dry-land crops by environmental water releases in the north of his electorate.
The Coalition handed the MP the reins during a raucous question time and his question was as follows:
‘My question is directed to the Minister for Health, representing the Minister for Water. Why is your Government shirking responsibility for the devastating impact to winter crops that have been and continue to be flooded by environmental water released under the State Government’s water sharing plan for the Gwydir River?’
The MP said that as the Minister for Water sits in the Upper House, his question was responded to by the Minister for Health, but the reply left the direct question without any real answers.
“I was disappointed that the Minster wasn’t able to provide a straight response but eventually the Minister offered to arrange for the Minister for Water to meet with me to talk about these very legitimate concerns,” Mr Moylan said.
“To be honest, I’m not sure the Minister had the faintest idea what I was talking about, but I will only too pleased to explain the details to the Government anytime.
“Whilst I accept the Minister for Health was acting as a proxy in this instance, I did expect at least some genuine debate about why farmers’ dry-land crops that are growing on their own private land are continually being flooded by environmental water that is released under the Water Sharing Plan.
“At the very least I expected that the Minister would be able to address the premise behind the WSP.”
The MP confirmed that he will be writing to both Ministers as a matter of urgency and retain the impetus following Question Time yesterday, and a meeting to thrash out answers to this environmental vandalism is on the top of the MP’s to-do list.
“I will be taking up the offer made to meet so I can explain to them that farmers are losing crops from environmental water that is not reaching its target and is flooding private land’, Mr Moylan said.
“Environmental water is a crucial part of the WSP but the environmental water needs to actually hit its target which is the wetlands, the environmental water should not be flowing onto dry-land cropping paddocks.
“This is just one of numerous issues I was pleased highlight with the Government on behalf of the Northern Tablelands during what was a productive inaugural sitting fortnight.”
The Hansard link to the question and the response is here: https://www.parliament.nsw.
MEDIA: Electorate Office 6772 5552