NSW Government leaves the Snowy River to stagnate

 Snowy River activists are taking the NSW government to court in an attempt to make environmental flows down the river legally binding.

 The Snowy River Alliance (SRA) is calling for the NSW Supreme Court to declare the NSW government’s First Five Year Review of the Snowy Water Licence invalid, as it does not comply with the Snowy Hydro Corporatisation Act.

 The Snowy Hydro Act outlines that the Review must assess the releases of “water to the Snowy River for environmental reasons.”

 Vice-Chair of the SRA, Louise Crisp said, “The Licence review was the only opportunity to change the Licence and deliver real environmental outcomes to the Snowy River without triggering compensation to Snowy Hydro Ltd, yet the NSW Government turned its back on the river.”

 In 2002, the Commonwealth, Victorian and NSW Governments made a commitment to return 15 per cent of the rivers annual natural flow by June 2009 and 20 per cent by 2010.

 But despite fierce criticism from the community and the Alliance, the Snowy River currently subsists on a mere 4 per cent of its regular flow.

 Julie Pearson, whose Dalgety café looks out onto the Snowy River in south-east NSW said she’s concerned about the state of the river.

“There are times when the river hardly moves. It gets warm and stinks,” she said.

 Chair of the SRA, John Gallard said the continued inaction from the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments, who are joint signatories to the Snowy legislation, has left the Alliance with no other option but to pursue legal action.

Craig Ingram, independent member for Gippsland East says he supports the legal action launched by the Alliance.

 He says that after submitting two submissions to the Review he is disappointed by the Government’s resolve to improve water flows down the river.

 The NSW Minister for Water, Phil Costa is yet to formally respond to the legal summons but has previously stood by the Government’s handling of the river.

 By Joel Tozer