27 January 2007

The water war day II

| johnboy
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In the initial outbreak of hostilities the Liberal Party decided to steal the water from Labor voting Canberra to literally slush a Prime Ministerial favourite into elected office in Goulburn.

Using language last heard from African Marxist dictators as they drove their nations into the dirt the Liberales are now nationalising assets so they can allocate them to the places they feel will do the most good (Liberal and National marginal seats).

Yesterday Jon Stanhope’s inneffective rear guard action took the form of personal attacks on Pru Goward while setting the record straight about the misinformation (lies?) she’s been putting out about the ACT’s water position. Later in the day he’d worked himself into higher dudgeon having a go at the Howard Government’s notions of Federalism (“All Power To The Great Leader” I think it goes).

Meanwhile the odious Gary Nairn was telling what looks to me like a fib to the ABC, saying the Government had never intended to let the ACT have Googong Dam. In which case why did they accept $60 million of our hard earned cash? This seems hardly credible.

John Howard launched his broader water plan which with its talk of sensible water pricing seems to run contrary to the Liberal defences of the Googong action “Stanhope was planning to charge Goulburn for its water”.

In a stunning feat of gymnastics Richard Mulcahy applauded the PM’s plan despite just yesterday arcing up about the Googong theft.

Meanwhile the Canberra Times reports that ACTEW is rethinking it’s water plans.

I recommend pumping Googong dry and damming the length of the Murrumbidgee that falls within our borders.

One day on and in the Canberra Times the Chief Minister is maintaining the rage and using it as an excuse for more stringent water restrictions.

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Let the Federales take Googong off us…..then cut off the local water supply to Parliament Palace, The Lodge and all federal govt buildings, maybe the embassies to. Voila, the balance is restored.

VY: banish the States altogether I reckon.
BUT Feret is right – all of Goulburn’s water goes to bloody Sydney, who are finally getting their first taste of why they should be conserving water. Goulburn pays a serious price on Sydney’s behalf, and no wonder landholders there hate the Sydney Catchment Authority with a vengence…
In the realms of contract law, I would have thought that $60M counts as “consideration”…

VYBerlinaV8_now with_added_grunt12:34 pm 27 Jan 07

I hope they nationalise the lot. I think the states have done a shithouse job on most of these areas, and we have to wear the cost of separate administration for each one.

I’m with yakz – aharing water with Goulburn – fine – especially if we had been actually asked.
But the Fed Govt is notoriously mingy when it comes to Canberra. I don’t like the idea of them walzing in and taking over our water suplly one little bit.

The Feds taking over water could be a good vote winner for them. However, if they are responsible, then not being able to water your lawn could potentially dictate the next government…

Just think they are going to nationalise water, what’s next? Farms, electricity, health…

if the Feds take over control of the Murray/Darling river basin (which includes the Murrimbidge River and our ACT rivers) who is to say they will not allocate water dedending on how much it will advantage them (no matter who is in power) as against who is in real need.
If we decry when someone gets off for a crime on a technicality, then using a technicality to stop a sale that has been going on for nearly 18 years is also wrong not matter whether it is legal it is morally wrong.
So I dont give a flying f*@k about who says what to whom, to me that is just showing a liking for one douche bag against another. I do care that something that was used to build Canberra (ie a large water reseviour) has been taken away only because they can, not because it may be the best option.
Finally I doubt whether the resdents of Canberra would mind sharing water with Goulburn when they are in need. But I feel Googong is not the best option as it is requiring topping up from the Murrimbidge to remain viable.

It’s like the car thief that waits till AFTER the mag wheels and new stereo are installed . . .

Howard scored a big Eckythump from Tim Flannery, the new Aust of the Year, which he seems to be copping on the chin . . .
It’s certainly a bit rich that the Feds are trying to move the goalposts AFTER the ACT has done a lot of work on Googong, and almost paid for it.
Can’t trust the Feds as far as they can be thrown (up), I always say. Stanhope has pissed me off about many things, but he has to go for the jugular on this one.
And something MUST be done about the Fed’s legal power to constantly trump and dump.

VYBerlinaV8_now with_added_grunt10:03 pm 26 Jan 07

I fail to see how building additional infrastructure to pump water around the country is a problem. At the rate Canberra is growing, and the fact that no new dams are being built, maybe it isn’t a bad thing for us to be connected to a larger water network.

All this really goes to show is that the current govt cares more about building monuments to its own ego and stupidity than investing in sensible infrastructure needed to provide basic services in a sustainable manner.

Growling Ferret8:50 pm 26 Jan 07

If it wasn’t for Sydney drinking all the Shoalhaven, Goulburn would be able to get plenty of water from close by. Instead http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/pumping-patches-up-sydneys-water-woes/2006/08/18/1155408025281.html
(sorry, cant link, html gumby)

We should not be wearing the cost of the Sydney Government (sorry, Newcastle Sydney Wollongong) Goverment f**kups. All power to Sonic on this one!

“On launching the plan, Mr Howard said “we have the capacity to drought-proof our large cities. What is needed is more investment, sensible pricing and an end to state governments using water utilities as cash cows,”

It’s about time all water was managed at a Federal level.

I have no problem in sharing water with my neighbours down the federal hwy – after all, Goulburn isnt THAT far away. All water infrastructure should be funded and managed at a federal level so there is no squabble over who “owns” the water.

Stanhope will never learn to cooperate with the other states – he is too busy building his socialist utopia, which we are all paying for.

Maybe Standope should get off his pompous ass and do something about getting us a water supply in the ACT that’s all our own then.

If he’s not too busy freeing lesbian whales from abortion camps

As mentioned on a previous thread, we can recycle till we’re blue in the face – Stanhope will still be pissing the same amount of water saved down the river for environmental flows.

We pay the costs of recycling, downstream gets it for free.

I’m all for equity between have’s and have nots as far as water is concerned. The same equity should apply to costs.

Yes but if we were in the process of paying for the dam, then surely we either 1) get to pay the rest off or 2) get the $60million back.

Howard’s an indian-giver.

Someone close to Standope might like to whisper into his ear ‘you reap what you sow’. Googong Dam is in NSW. Goulburn needs the water more than we do and f*ck me, theres only about 30,000 people in that area isn’t there?

I don’t know what the big deal is. The ACT continually goes to the Federales cap in hand. Now they are asking for a little in return. But then again Standope will do some more idelological grandstanding that will marginalise the ACT even further

It’s been fine everywhere else I’ve drank it.

Better than swimming at Bondi where they don’t bother recycling it.

Hmmm. As we aren’t anywhere close enough for a desalination plant, I can only assume Canberrans are going to be the first tranche of citizens to spearhead the Recycled Water is Yummy Programme.

That’s going to cause hilarity all over the place.

As a letter to the CT says today – it makes no sense to be pumping Inland water closer to the sea. Why not pump water to Goulburn from closer to the coast? – Oh – because Howard is banking on anti-Canberra sentiment to push this thru.

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