The cost of the Wimmera-Mallee pipeline has blown out to $936 million dollars from the original $501 million, an extra 87 per cent.

The likely cost of the north-south pipeline is supposed to be $750 million dollars, but considering the fact that the government is yet to source pumps capable of pumping the water, they still haven’t finalised the route of the pipeline, and Mr Brumby is claiming the extra cost of the Wimmera-Mallee pipeline is due to the increased cost of the pipes, one can only assume that the cost of the north-south pipe will also increase severely. However, there is an opportunity for Mr Brumby and Mr Holding to limit the cost increase of the Food Bowl Modernisation Project to just 50 per cent. Mr Brumby could hand back to Melbourne Water their $300 million, the government could put an extra $300 million into the modernisation, and half the savings could then go to the irrigators and half to the environment to help reduce the government’s debt to them.

Should this be done, the pipeline would not be built, the public would never learn the amount that it was actually going to cost and Melbourne water consumers would not be burdened with the cost.

NEIL PANKHURST,

Tongala