Phillip Glyde (Chief Executive of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority) addresses the plan.
At the conferece – ” OUTLOOK 2016 ~ Investing in agriculture – growing our future”
“So why do we need a [Murray-Darling Basin] plan?”
“Simply because successive governments, over a long period of time, have over-allocated water entitlements in relation to the Murray-Darling itself. And the industries and the communities that are supported by the Murray-Darling Basin … don’t have a sustainable future, unless we were to address that over-allocation.”
“… just to remind you about the complexity and the size of what we’re dealing with– 4 states; 1 territory; 2 million people; provides water for over 3 million people; 40 aboriginal nations; 30,000 wetlands; more than 35 endangered bird species; more than 16 endangered mammals; 49% of Australia’s irrigated farms; $18.6 billion worth of agricultural production, of which $7.1 billion is from irrigation. It’s a really iconic part of our history. It’s an iconic part of the country. It’s a large part of the country.”
“since 2007 and 2008, there’s been $5.3 billion invested in a combination of infrastructure and buybacks, $3 billion in infrastructure, and $2.3 billion in buybacks…”
“And particularly, $1.5 billion dedicated to so-called efficiency measures, which are about lining – things like lining irrigation channels, so that you reduce your losses, and some of that water can be returned to the environment. And it doesn’t necessarily impact on the economic performance of the people who are using that water for consumptive uses…”
“In terms of water recovery… we’ve [been able to recover] 1,951 gigalitres of the 2,750 gigalitres that are required in order to get to a sustainable level of diversion… We’re 71% of the way there…”
“We’re seeing some really good breeding outcomes for native fish, Murray cod, golden perch, and silver perch. And in addition to recovering water, we’ve also seen the completion of fish waste from the Hume to the Murray mouth. And that’s also showing– that’s another way of making sure that we’re improving the environmental health of the river.”
“the point I really want to try and make is that in making this change, making this huge structural adjustment, for the irrigation industry, for the farming sector, and for the communities that depend on it…”
Source:
http://www.agriculture.gov.au/abares/outlook-2016/Pages/Conference-Program.aspx
Phillip Glyde
Murray-Darling Basin Authority
Phillip Glyde was appointed Chief Executive of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority in January 2016. Prior to this, Phillip was a deputy secretary in the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources since November 2006. In that role he was responsible for agriculture, fisheries and forestry.
Phillip has previously had responsibility for international trade and market access, export certification services and the department’s research division, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
Prior to this Phillip worked on natural resource management, industry and environment policies and programs in a number of Australian Government departments, including the Departments of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Environment and Resources and Energy.
Phillip has also worked overseas. In the mid 1980s he worked for the Environment Directorate of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris and in the late 1990s was seconded to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the United Kingdom.
Phillip has an Honours Degree in Natural Resource Management from the University of New England and a Bachelor of Economics Degree from the Australian National University.
