Cuts cause basin board to look for things to lose
The chair of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority says a New South Wales Government funding cut will flow downstream.
In an interview with the ABC, MDBA chair Craig Knowles said cuts to river services will have to be considered.
Mr Knowles said the announcement of a funding cut from the NSW government was “terribly disappointing” news.
New South Wales has recently cut its contribution to the MDBA by 60 per cent, and will now cap funding at around $9 million this financial year.
Knowles argued that the cut will negatively affect the ways the Authority is able to manage joint assets along the river’s banks.
The MDBA is reportedly looking at which of its service may have to suffer, giving priority to issues of human safety, protection of property and dam safety.
It is possible that services including the salt interceptor schemes, native fish strategies and opening times for locks and weirs may be trimmed.
“There is an inevitability that things like wage packets, jobs in local towns, opportunities for leisure and recreation will be impacted,” Mr Knowles said.