2. Nagurkah is a tiny town in
Southern NSW, population
1575, about 250 km from the
Victorian border. Local
livelihoods are almost all in
large-scale agribusiness
(wheat and wool) or support
services. The farming
community has been
amongst the most vocal
critics of the Murray Darling
Basin Authority (MDBA) Plan.
3. The combined stakeholders
of Nagurkah are seeking
amendments to reduce
environmental flow targets
and to increase Sustainable
Diversion Limits (SDLs – the
amount they may legally
extract). They argue strongly
that local community
cohesion, economic
opportunity and the future
existence of the town are
dependent on much higher
levels than these proposed
limits.
http://www.environment.gov.au/water/publications/mdb/factsheet-sustainable-diversion-limit-sdl-adjustment-mechanism
4. In addition, a community of
Wiradjuri traditional owners has
developed a strong petition for
cultural flows (considerably
higher limits than those
described as environmental
flows) as the baseline point.
This community seeks to re-
establish cultural practices in
the area as an objective of their
recently adopted community
plan to provide traditional
knowledge programs to address
urgent social and
environmental problems. It is
argued that the health, well
being and sustainability of the
community depends on
committed stewardship of the
natural aspects of the
environment.
First image: http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/Murrumbidgee-Valley-National-Park/Learn-More
Second Image: http://www.wiradjuricondocorp.com/pageview.php?pid=6
5. The governing municipality, Mt
Lollipop Shire, has supported
the Chamber of Commerce in
its recent development of an
eco-tourism transition strategy,
as many local industries have
disappeared or are in serious
decline, in part due to the
changing nature of land
ownership in the region. This
eco-tourism focus is on
wetlands and water recreation
and will be dramatically
impacted by non-compliance
with SDLs, ‘upstream’.
6. The community includes long
term farming families, a
growing environmental activist
cooperative, the traditional
owners of the Wiradjuri nation,
and employees of a major multi
national agribusiness. The local
state and federal government
offices are located at Wagga,
some 50 km away.
