Kerry Nettle (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

the internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetlands, the Macquarie Marshes in New South Wales are dying because of a lack of water,

(ii)

water for cotton irrigation upstream on the Macquarie River has been over-allocated and has starved the Macquarie Marshes of water, specifically the periodic flooding necessary for the marsh flora and fauna to survive, and

(iii)

if there is not a substantial flood in the Macquarie Marshes in the near future, a substantial area of the marsh will be permanently damaged; and

(b)

calls on the Government to:

(i)

prioritise, for immediate buy-back, the over-allocation of water licences on the Macquarie River, and

(ii)

ensure that a substantial and immediate environmental flow to save the marshes is allocated as soon as the drought breaks and water is available.

Question put.