Thursday 6 August 2009

Hallam speaks out against latest push to raid Clarence River catchment water




Former NSW Labor Minister for Agriculture & Fisheries and current Uki resident Jack Hallam (who started his career as a Riverina rice farmer) has come out strongly against the latest push to divert Clarence River catchment water, according to ABC News today:

But a former state agriculture and fisheries minister says the proposal would be a total disaster.Jack Hallam, who served on the front bench for the Wran Government, rang ABC Local Radio today after hearing of the latest campaign by the Murray Darling Association.Mr Hallam says floodwaters play a key role in maintaining one of the coast's most important fisheries."Flood is a good thing," Mr Hallam said."We are concerned about the damage of floods very often because of extremely bad planning 30 and 40 years ago, but if you don't have these events you don't have the fish spawn," he said."The fish, the prawn fishery, other major fisheries are totally dependent on these flood events," Mr Hallam said."It (the diversion plan) would be an absolute total disaster," he said.

Well said, Jack.

Photograph from the Tweed Shire Echo

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