$50 MILLION DOWN PAYMENT ON THE MURRAY

摘要

The first round of water entitlement purchasing, part of the Government's plan to restore the health of the Murray-Darling Basin, has begun with a public tender process, with the Australian Government allocating $50 million to purchase water this financial year. Senator Penny Wong from the Department of Climate Change and Water said irrigators who wish to sell water will be invited to submit offers to the Government at a fair market price. "The River Murray and the other important rivers that make up the Basin desperately need more water," Senator Wong said. "We've had 11 consecutive years of dry conditions and six consecutive years of record low inflow on the Murray, yet this will be the first time the Australian Government has ever directly purchased water. This is a down payment on the future of the Murray."