Labor targets Murray River water security ahead of Federal Election

The Murray River has got some good news for its recovery, but its future in SA is uncertain after changes in Canberra. That makes it a key election issue.

A strong campaign for the future of the River Murray is looming, as Federal Labor looks to make it a battleground issue that could sway the next election.

Defence jobs for South Australia will be another major issue as Labor targets the crucial marginal seat of Boothby to win power.

While political sources now expect Scott Morrison to call the election next year, Labor has noticeably ramped up its attack ads over the vaccination rollout, border closures and the river.

Sportsbet also updated its odds during the week to put Labor in the lead as a slight favourite to win the next election for the first time in two years.

Senior Labor frontbencher Mark Butler said SA needed to fight for the river after the National Party’s attempt to blow up the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in parliament in June.

“Barnaby Joyce’s resurrection as Deputy Prime Minister has really placed, from SA’s perspective, the critical elements of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in jeopardy,” he said.

“Although there had been people like Bridget McKenzie and others saying the 450GL wouldn’t be delivered, I think everyone was shocked that within 24 or 36 hours of Barnaby becoming the leader again, the National Party was moving amendments to the government’s legislation.”

The Murray River at the border of South Australia and Victoria. Picture: Simon Cross

Mr Butler criticised Prime Minister Morrison for not stripping the water portfolio off the National Party after the stunt. He said Steven Marshall’s “softly, softly” approach to advocating for SA’s interests in Canberra didn’t work, and the best approach historically had been to speak up “strongly and fearlessly” for the state’s interests.

State Water Minister David Speirs warned after the Nationals stunt last month that Boothby would be at risk if the federal Coalition failed to “get the politics of the river right”.

Boothby is considered up for grabs with a margin of just 1.4 per cent and with incumbent Liberal MP Nicolle Flint not recontesting the next election. The Coalition currently holds only a one-seat majority in the House of Representatives, and cannot risk losing Boothby.

But Labor hasn’t won the seat in almost 80 years.

“Boothby’s always tough,” Mr Butler said. “We haven’t held it since the ’40s.

“We gave it a really strong go last time when Nadia Clancy got a swing towards her.

“We’ll be running hard there but I don’t think any of us underestimate the challenge of taking a seat that we have not held before.”

Labor is just weeks away from selecting its candidate for Boothby, while the Liberal Party preselected health consultant Rachel Swift in May.

Ms Clancy has ruled out another shot at the seat and will run for the state seat of Elder.

Endangered fish lap up water boost

Record numbers of critically-endangered Murray hardyhead have been rediscovered in the River Murray in the Riverland. Source: Department for Environment and Water

Record numbers of endangered fish have been rediscovered in the River Murray after a boost in water for the environment.

Tens of thousands of critically endangered Murray hardyhead were found in the Riverland after water levels were raised at Lock 4 and delivered to the Katarapko flood plain near Loxton.

Water Minister David Speirs said it was made possible thanks to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

“We know how important the delivery of environmental water is under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and to have record numbers of critically-endangered fish rediscovered is a great result,” Mr Speirs said.

“We were blown away by the results. At the peak of the investigation our team caught a record number of Murray hardyhead with almost 25,000 fish recorded during a single sampling event and more than 75,000 individuals caught across the whole investigation.”

Water Minister David Speirs said the discovery of the fish confirmed the need for the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. Picture;: Department for Environment and Water

He said projects like this reconfirm why all Basin jurisdictions needed to get on with delivering the plan.

Environment and Water Department project manager Nathan Creeper said the Gurra Gurra wetland complex had become more saline after the millennium drought.

“The … Murray hardyhead have evolved to tolerate saline ecosystems and are now only found in these saline environments where they have a competitive advantage over other fish,” he said.