THE draft Murray Darling Basin Plan should be rejected because it lacks information, the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists say.
The group's statement in response to the draft plan, released this afternoon, suggests the plan should be withdrawn because it does not provide the information required to make an informed decision on the river system's future.
The statement calls for the parliament to reject the plan and accuses the Murray-Darling Basin Authority of producing a plan that "manipulates science in an attempt to engineer a pre-determined political outcome".
"The government should also suspend the current infrastructure grants and water buyback programs, and use this opportunity to establish a genuine industry reform which is aimed at delivering water reform," the statement reads.
"This is a bad policy built on a flawed, 19th Century world view, that environmental reform can only be achieved at the expense of the economy. There are no winners in this old fashioned view."
Environmental engineer with the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists Tim Stubbs told weeklytimesnow the plan didn't state how much water was needed for a healthy river nor did detail the constraints to delivering a healthy river.
"Governments deal with constraints all the time whether it is roads or railway," Mr Stubbs said.
Other concerns include the impacts of increasing groundwater extraction on surface water flows, the assumption climate change won't impact the river, a lack of information detailing how long dry periods will be dealt with and how two million tonnes of salt will be exported from the river system.
"The authority has done good modeling, developed good tools to assess social and economic changes but the modeling and tools haven't been used in the development of the plan.
"The modeling exists . . . it's better to get the plan right.""The plan doesn't have the information for anyone - a minister, a scientist or an environmentalist to make an informed decision about what is required for a healthy Murray Darling Basin."
Murray Darling Basin Authority chairman Craig Knowles said: "The views of the Wentworth Group are well-known. As with other groups with diametrically opposed opinions on the draft, all views will be considered as part of the consultation period."
