“The legislation turns the Water Management Act on its head by proposing that the environment may only get ‘the water remaining after the commitment to basic landholder rights and for extraction have been met’,” Mr Cohen said.
“In other words, after irrigators and other landholders have taken their allocations, some scraps may be left over for the environment.
“The bill is aimed at thwarting a High Court challenge (the ‘Gwydir’ case) that is looming in several weeks’ time.
“In a bizarre move the Government has argued that it is sufficient for a water sharing plan to deal with an abstract concept of water. Water Sharing Plans will be able refer to abstract or virtual water.
“I have no idea how the Minister thinks that rivers and wetlands can survive on theoretical water.
“The legislation attempts to make Water Sharing Plans that might otherwise be found to be invalid (because they invert the intent of the Act) into valid plans under the Act regardless.
“On the one hand, we have the Premier this week promising $105 million for river health, but on the other hand, we have this legislation, which turns the intent of the Act on its head and allows for a commitment of water to the environment to be abstract, theoretical water,” Mr Cohen said.
“The Greens will be moving amendments to the legislation to remove the worst elements of the bill,” Mr Cohen said.
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