I think it is time for the Federal Environment Minister and Federal Member for Farrer, Sussan Ley, to publicly explain her position on helping her constituents during the current water crisis.
Before the election Ms Ley was vocal in telling everyone she was doing everything possible to improve the water situation in her electorate.Unfortunately these now seem hollow words, as other politicians throughout our broad region call for change but Ms Ley is conspicuous by her absence in the debate on this vital topic.
Firstly, Ms Ley needs to stop her ridiculous refusal to talk with key farmer advocacy leaders in her electorate on some crazy pretence over the Murray-Darling Basin Authority class action.It hasn’t stopped other cabinet ministers talking to these leaders and there seems no reason why it should stop Ms Ley.She is elected to represent all constituents, and this includes those who may outline some unpalatable home truths.
She needs to sit around the table and talk about how her Federal Government is going to get us out of the mess that has been created, and perhaps explain why she is allowing government policy that is detrimental to her electorate to be dictated by Adelaide votes (as recently explained by Nationals Member for Nicholls Damian Drum).
It seems nearly everyone, including National Party representatives in our region, can identify there is a problem, yet our representative in the Federal Cabinet hides behind a class action and refuses to talk to those who represent farming interests.
This must change.
Every man and his dog can see that the basin plan is not working in the balanced and fair manner that was promised.
It is also bleedingly obvious that the MDBA will do everything in its power to hang on to its billions of dollars in funding.
I call on Ms Ley to stand up and be counted.
Do the right thing by your constituents.Get National Party politicians (federal and state) and advocacy group leaders who you have refused to meet with in a room and start sorting out how this failed basin plan can be fixed.
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