Fish kills
How to kill a river system? Sickening scenes of one million dead fish, with another massive kill in January, have moved Australians to anger. The drought played a part but doesn’t explain how the Menindee Lakes were drained twice in the last four years, even though 2016 produced well-above average rain.
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Firstly, kill a river by giving big cotton free rein. Revisit Pumped, the Four Corners program screened in July 2017. Outrageous water theft, tampered meters and dams holding near the capacity of Sydney Harbour. One irrigator with a capacity of 30 billion litres of water. This cotton farm was worth $300 million. Barnaby Joyce at the time said something like 30 billion litres was nothing in the overall scheme of the system. Well to most people it isn’t nothing, especially now at a desperate time. Nearly three quarters of irrigators in some sections of the system have not even installed pump meters to monitor their water extraction.
Secondly, kill a river system by having the NSW Department of Primary Industries dramatically cull its enforcement regime and caution inspectors about making trouble.
Thirdly, vote Nationals. The situation for the river basin has worsened with the Nationals, mates of the big irrigators, in power in Canberra and Sydney. And, of course, the Nationals are full of climate change deniers.
That’s how to kill a river system.
Mick Lawler
Tamworth Labor president
Cartoons
I wish we could go back to our regular cartoonist, Moir. He is so clever and spot on, not like Pope, who I simply don’t understand. I get the long rabbit ears belong to Scott Morrison, although I don’t know why. Am I the only one in the dark?
Jan Morris
West Tamworth
Warning for Property Owners in Tamworth
On Thursday 20th December, 2018, a storm event passed through South Tamworth during which a section of a council tree on the nature strip collapsed onto our rental property.
Naturally, I submitted a claim for damages to council and was surprised by their response that council is not liable for an Act of Nature. Therefore obviously I am and now have to take a hit on my insurance. Everyone knows if you touch a leaf on any tree unsafe or not you are deported to Van Demons Land, so please take note of this warning. Property owners in Tamworth and NSW if you suffer a similar event you will have to claim on your insurance unless you can prove negligence. If you are uninsured for whatever reason then you can whistle Dixie.
Phillip Tilley
Tamworth
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