(Or; speak freely unless you work for me)

Recent comments from retiring Yarra Valley Water chairman Alan Cornell about the need for a new Melbourne Dam has met with a predictable response from the states Environment Minister Gavin Jennings. Jennings vehemently defended the Governments No Dam Policy.

He believed the ban on new dams was ridiculous and should be "revisited".

"If a precious resource is going straight into the sea, pure water out of the sky, why wouldn't you attempt to capture it?"

What is surprising here is such a senior and high ranking authority on water had to wait until retirement before making such a strong statement. His action clearly illustrates the un-healthy nature of the Brumby government ethos, strangling debate and controlling the flow of information from our water leaders in the time of crisis. Disregarding whether new dams are a good or bad thing, restriction or the politicisation of the water debate can’t be good for the state. Mr Cornell should be congratulated for his comments in the public interest. 

Jan Beer from Plug the Pipe commented, “Mr Cornell statement infers that the government’s water plan is flawed and inadequate. The NS pipeline for example cannot deliver water to Melbourne in the volumes required unless it becomes very wet, why else would one of the pipe owners be suggesting new dams for Melbourne.”

Last year Melbourne Water chief executive officer, Rob Skinner, said at the introduction of the governments $5 billion water plan, that theses projects will only provide the 240 gigalitres of water needed until 2011, but not enough beyond that.

Jan concluded “given the CSIRO’s climate reports predicting that our side of the divide will become a lot drier relative to the Melbourne side the Brumby government should abandon the pipe and seek more sustainable sources of water for Melbourne. Gavin Jennings may not give a stuff about the environment outside of Melbourne, but Melbourne people deserve a lot better.”