Nothing can drought proof a farm better than a good supply of clean water. Same applies to towns and regional centres and their businesses.
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But having a supply and ensuring it is managed properly is another matter as we are now finding out as town after town in NSW is fast running out of water.
Therefore it isn't so much lets go gangbusters and cover the state with dams but rather if we build dams, that stack up economically and environmentally, can we please manage the water they hold.
In the past week hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in dam infrastructure has been announced by the Federal Government. NSW Coalition, especially members of The National Party, are keen remove of any red or green tape that could possible delay the bulldozers.
However there has been push-back not just from Labor and The Greens but also senior Cabinet members in NSW who argue dams are not the panacea of the drought many claim them to be. Shadow Minister for Water, Clayton Barr and Shadow Minister for Local Government, Greg Warren have labelled Upper Hunter MP Michael's Johnsen's plan for a dam between Murrurundi and Scone as a "knee-jerk reaction".Mr Johnsen said a new dam near Camerons Gorge Nature Reserve should be a "priority" project. However Mr Barr and Mr Warren said they sided with Nature Conservation Council chief executive Chris Gambian who said the proposal was madness."Building a dam like this will have a massive impact on farmers and water users downstream, which need to be carefully consulted before this Michael Johnsen thought bubble progresses," Mr Barr said.