RUSSELL LANGFIELD

Hopefully, David Bartlett’s public service jobs axe will fall in the right places like the overpaid Tasmanian Government Department Public Relations staff, which brings me to answering Hydro Tasmania’s Andrew Catchpole who was extremely selective and misleading with figures quoted in his letter (Examiner, 15th June).
The fact that our storages are only slighlty above that of last year’s incredible lows but still way below what would be required to supply David Bartlett’s irrigation expansion dream is irrelevant.

My figures are always quoted from recently published Tasmanian Government sources Andrew and not something I make up, so at least one of us is lying. The fact that prices people and companies pay for water differ so much throughout Tasmania is testament that the whole structure must be redone equitably. You were selective to show the cheapest rates you are charging ‘some’ irrigators in the state ($22.90 ML from Sth Esk, where water from the Meander Dam costs farmers $1100.00 ML), while the fictitional figures you quoted that you ‘would’ charge Gunns’ Pulp Mill ($35.37 ML) were totally at odds with the recently leaked Tasmanian Labor Government memorandum specifically stating that Gunns was offered $24.00 ML.

The other matter was the stating of order of priority given to water allocation that Government staff always quote and if yours is now the official and correct one then we are really headed for a Murray/Darling-like disaster. In your letter environmental flows still came in 4th in priority out of a list of 8. I would think that environmental flows would always have to be first as a must when things became dire. Maybe you should go and witness the poisonous blue-green algal blooms that stretch almost unbroken from Albury hundreds of kilometres downstream on the Murray at the moment due to low environmental flows? And if domestic supply is 1st priority on your list, then why have Midlands townspeople been carting water for the past 2 years while upstream irrigators (at your priority 8th – last) sprayed their precious poppies?

You shouldn’t even wait for the axe Mr. Catchpole.

Russell Langfield
Kimberley 7304
Tasmania