Federal Government

TOO WET BY FAR: Ambitious Liberal lines up with lunatic fringe on water

Federal Liberal shadow environment spokesman Greg Hunt is an impressive advocate for his party in many ways but his support for a radical anti-water desalination group has caused some of his party colleagues to be gravely concerned about his political judgment.

Hunt today supplied a quote for publication in a media release by the radical “Watershed Victoria” movement that is highly critical of the desalination plant that will keep Melbourne in water. Similar plants successfully supply large parts of the world with water. We understand may even have attended the mad group’s media event this morning.

CONSPIRACY THEORISTS
The group’s website reveals the mad, bad and extremist nature of Watershed Victoria, industry observers told VEXNEWS.

We have learnt that actual “proponants”(sic) of desalination factory at Wonthaggi… in concert with the international mega-desalination lobby & water privatization lobby who are tied to the industrial chemical industry.

Supplying Melbourne more water from a wholly state owned water monopoly has somehow become an international privatisation conspiracy connected with the “industrial chemical industry.”

There are worse conspiracy theorists involved with water, including those who campaign against teeth-saving flouride while wearing tin-foil hats, but they very rarely have the co-operation of senior Liberals.

THEY DON’T WANT MORE WATER IN CASE WE WASTE IT
The site unwittingly concedes the Victorian approach (which has some degree of bipartisan support, at least at state level) will succeed but seems concerned we’ll have so much water we’ll be wasting it by rejoicing in the streets loosening up fire hydrants. The Greg Hunt backed group writes:

Depending on conditions in the north of the state, between 50 and 60 percent more water will be coming into Melbourne annually from these two options than we have been using. With this level of expensive “new” water in the system, where will be the incentive for sustainable water policy over the coming decades?

So their logic is do nothing about Melbourne’s dwindling water supply so we’re forced to conserve more of it by having insufficient amounts.

ARID POLITICS
It’s an argument. It’s not a credible one. It’s a lunatic point of view of the kind that belong to nutter far-left protest groups. It’s not surprising the irresponsible far-left Greens political party through aging millionaire Senator Bob Brown is supporting them. It’s appalling that one of the Liberal great hopes for the future has done the same. Greg Hunt is much better than this, in our view.

Hunt’s seat of Flinders doesn’t include the site of the desal plant but it’s not far from it. No doubt it will be a big ugly necessary beast of a thing and locals don’t want it in their backyard. It’s in Hunt’s neighbouring seat of McMillan and its location is a hugely sensitive political isssue. We can respect his desire to keep in line with the desires of his seat.

NOT GOOD ENOUGH
But falling in with this extremist group of hair-shirters who want Melbourne to run out of water so we can get in touch with our inner hippy? Politically, morally, to use the American expression, that dog won’t hunt.

Greg Hunt needs to rise above petty local politics on this issue and think about the welfare of all the people of Melbourne.

Many Liberal insiders think Hunt is well-credentialed and articulate enough to rise to the very top of conservative politics. But he won’t do it with misjudgments like this.

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