$13 billion river rescue heads for failure, report says

By Peter Hannam
Updated November 30 2017 - 2:13pm, first published 2:09pm
News.
November 30th 2014.

Danny Hull monitors the irrigation system at the Canturf farm in Fyshwick as a golden sun sets over Canberra.  

Canberra Times photo by Matt Bedford.
News. November 30th 2014. Danny Hull monitors the irrigation system at the Canturf farm in Fyshwick as a golden sun sets over Canberra. Canberra Times photo by Matt Bedford.
WATER AFR 070510 PIC JESSICA SHAPIRO... The Campaspe River, a tributary of the Murray River runs through Rochester in Central Victoria and irrigates land for the surrounding agriculture.  GENERIC crops, grain, paddock, livestock, murray darling basin, water allocation, restrictions, farmers, feed, agriculture, crisis, drought, climate change, environment, rain, irrigation, export, import, trade... AFR FIRST USE ONLY PLEASE!!! SPECIALX 64942
WATER AFR 070510 PIC JESSICA SHAPIRO... The Campaspe River, a tributary of the Murray River runs through Rochester in Central Victoria and irrigates land for the surrounding agriculture. GENERIC crops, grain, paddock, livestock, murray darling basin, water allocation, restrictions, farmers, feed, agriculture, crisis, drought, climate change, environment, rain, irrigation, export, import, trade... AFR FIRST USE ONLY PLEASE!!! SPECIALX 64942

The $13 billion reform to restore the health of the Murray-Darling Basin is "at great risk", amid excessive payments to irrigators, failing environmental flows and an ignorance of water extraction that is "inconceivable" given available technology, a review of the 10-year plan has found.

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