L @ 25

Thank you. Taking it a step further, if the states realize they can’t handle it, isn’t it time for them to own up and say something like: ‘Sorry, the system is broken, it really requires the Commonwealth to do something systematic when we face a cross-border, regional problem, therefore we will hand over constitutional responsibility to the Commonwealth.’

Matt Sykes @ 24

I accept that the situation has gone past the point of no return for lots of players and that there will be lots of losers. But stating that doesn’t get over the fact that it didn’t get that way by accident, and the state labour governments were significant contributors to this situation.

I don’t understand why you are blaming just the Commonwealth. Isn’t the constitutional responsibility for land and inland waters a state responsibility? If so, why should the Commonwealth be blamed? Apart from Keating’s bag full of dollars, what scope does the Commonwealth have? And if the states don’t want to play, like Victoria didn’t, what can the Commonwealth really do? On Murray water, Victoria rolled Howard, and then it rolled Rudd. Rather than blame one or the other players, isn’t it time we all recognised that for cross-border issues and regional issues, it is the system of federal governance that is busted?

Enjaybee @ 27

Exactly. The South Australians are at the cloaca end of a busted system. No wonder it smells. South Australian Governments have two choices: Buckley’s, or making the best of a bad deal. Socking it to a South Australian Government when the governance system is busted makes no sense. Shuffling governments in South Australia will not make an iota of difference. The Tiser should know this. If the Tiser really wants to play in this game it should spell out some practical alternatives.

Phil Robins @ 29

I accept your point about rank Lib hypocrisy on Murray Darling policy, but do you really think the libs have a monopoly on hypocritical duck shoving? Would you accept the general proposition that the amount of hypocritical duck shoving by governments of all levels and all hues is in inverse proportion to the actual number of ducks left in the Murray Darling system?

What threatened to hurt her more was the Country Health Plan, which she supported in Cabinet.

Her electorate arguably benefited, along with Mount Gambier, Whyalla and Port Lincoln, but the rest of country SA was staring down the barrel of reduced services.

The government has backtracked on the plan, which might save Karlene.

The Nats will be hoping to win Flinders and possibly Stuart at the next state election. Being seen as having endorsed the Country Health Plan would have killed them.

There is some more evidence for your recent post. Mike Rann was just on Channel 10 news, which is usually pretty fair, commenting on the Chaffey poll. His comments were exactly the same as yours and he claimed that the Tiser got the result they wanted by rigging it. Channel 10 interviewed quite a few voters in her electorate and it was clear that she has a lot more than 11% support.

The Tiser is having none of it. They don’t report Rann’s criticism of the methodology of the poll. Their comment is that Rann is blindly backing Maywald.

But Mr Rann said the poll was simply wrong.

“I think Karlene has enormous respect in her area as someone who is fighting for the River land at every turn and that will be demonstrated in the next election,” he said.

“I think Karlene Maywald is seen as an outstanding MP who is working overdrive to assist our state.

“Without Karlene Maywald, people would not have that direct voice in the government and that direct voice into the highest level of debate in the nation.”

I find it ironic that those making the loudest noise at the moment are of a liberal persuasion and if there was a change of government in NSW (very possible), Queensland (improbable), Victoria (unlikely) and South Australia (unlikley) but if there was, these same people would find themselves having to deal with liberal/LNP or coalition governments as all of the seats in the Murray-Darling catchment area both federally and statewise have non-labour sitting members.

Can you imagine those governments doing anything about how water is allocated in the upper reaches of the M-D system. It would be electoral suicide on their part if they did. For that reason alone I can’t see how things are going to improve in the future unless we have a flood of biblical proportions (if such an event indeed did happen).