Hands off the Fitzroy, McCourt

Author: John McCourt
Published on: 07-August-2008

The re-instalment of Colin Barnett to lead the Liberal Party at the coming State election raises the spectre of the Libs revisiting his far-fetched idea of taking water from the Kimberley to Perth by building a canal.

Nationals candidate for the Kimberley John McCourt said today the concept was breath-takingly ill conceived four years ago and remains so.

As far as I am concerned – and my position is 100% supported by the Nationals – is a flat NO to any damning of the Fitzroy River.

What the Liberal Party and the Labor Party need to understand is that Perth’s water shortage has a lot to do with the habits of Perth residents. What needs to be done is to regard water as a vital resource and not pour millions of litres onto manicured lawns and rose gardens.

“Already people in the South West are seeking precious water being siphoned off for a seemingly insatiable thirst in Perth, and I am not talking about drinking water ,” Mr McCourt said.

“What I want to see is the Carpenter Government and the Liberal Party to get serious about putting more back into regional areas rather than to continue to look at any area outside the Perth metro area as a resource to plunder.”

Mr. McCourt said any plan to damn or divert water from the Fitzroy is simply not negotiable and if the Nationals secure the balance of power at the coming election, any attempt to do so by any party will be vigorously opposed.